Natural Resources Wales declared drought in parts of Wales after river and groundwater levels fell sharply during a prolonged spell of hot, dry weather. It is the first drought declaration in the UK this summer and covers North and South Gwynedd, Ynys Môn, Dee, Clwyd and Upper Severn.
Rhian Thomas, the NRW sustainable water and nature manager, said: "The prolonged period of hot, dry weather we have experienced this summer is now having serious impacts on the environment across parts of Wales." She added: "We have seen rivers fall to exceptionally low levels, groundwater continuing to decline and increasing reports of environmental impacts affecting wildlife, fisheries, farming and sensitive habitats."
North and South Gwynedd
NRW said the threshold had been reached for drought to be declared across north and parts of mid Wales, while the rest of mid and south Wales was classed as being in prolonged dry weather status. Rivers classed as exceptionally low include the Clwyd, Alwen, Alyn, Clywedog, Dyfi and Conwy in north Wales and the Wye.
NRW said Wales has seen about 5% of the average rainfall for July. It also said extra water was being released from reservoirs to support flows on the Clwyd, the Wye, the Severn and the Dee. Afonydd Cymru described the effects of low river flows as "significant problems" in the same dry spell.
Rhian Thomas and NRW
Thomas said wildfires across north and south east Wales were "one of the clearest and most visible signs of how dry our landscapes have become". NRW said drought status does not automatically mean water shortages for customers, even as environmental pressure rises.
That leaves the immediate question in practical terms: whether rainfall arrives before the end of July to prevent it becoming Wales for July for almost 190 years.
