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When we go back through the
weather records it appears that a drought occurs about once
every ten years.
1955 and 1956 were both very
dry, as was 1962.
For many of us the drought
that will forever stick in the memory occurred in 1976 - that
long, hot summer.
In fact 1975 had been quite
a dry year. But when the weather began to settle in early
April the levels in the West’s reservoirs were already fairly
low.
Standpipes
For the next four months the
sun beat down and the skies remained blue and clear.
Across the West Country our
normally green fields began to look more like parched prairies.
Crops shrivelled and as water
levels fell to unprecedented levels standpipes began to appear
across the region as water rationing began.
Things got so bad we were advised
to take drastic measures to conserve dwindling water resources.
By the middle of August the
government was becoming so concerned that they appointed Dennis
Howell as Minister of 'Drought'.
Downpour
On the 28th August, almost
to the day he was appointed, the Met Office’s prediction of
a breakdown in the fine weather was confirmed as the heavens
opened and for the next four weeks it rained, and it rained,
and it rained.
Drought is likely to become
an increasing problem here in the West.
Farmers
The demand for water continues
to rise both among domestic and industrial users and there
are signs that our weather patterns are becoming more extreme.
One of the noticeable effects
of global warming has been the trend towards more extreme
rainfall patterns - more rain in the autumn and winter (remember
the flooding of autumn 2000) - less in spring and summer.
During the summer of 1997 Points
West featured farmers who were bemoaning the lack of rain
for sowing their spring crops.
These are likely to become
a rather more frequent occurrence in the next 50 years.
In many parts of the world
water is treated as a highly valuable commodity. Access to
water is a source of international conflict.
Here in the generally wet West
Country we take water for granted.
When the sun shines and the
rain fails to fall, only then do we begin to appreciate the
true value of our water.
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