England, this green and pleasant land, this damp and soggy isle, faces a water shortage.
It's still February and already we're warned that we may all be collecting our water from standpipes in the street this summer. And the first casualties will be our gardens.
Whenever there's a threat of water shortage the Environment Agency and the water companies issue hose pipe bans. That means you cannot use a hose to water your garden.
Now I love my garden and I have a tendency to overplant, making use of every available inch in my tiny postage stamp sized London garden. This means that most weeks during the summer I have to do some supplementary watering. But I am careful about the way I water - early morning or late evening and I use soaker hoses and I don't even have a lawn. Not only that, but I am generally thrifty in my water usage (not running the tap when brushing my teeth, washing dishes, etc) so I feel my overall low water usage means that I have extra gallons in my moral water account. Not only that, but part of the reason we're facing a water shortage is that the water companies themselves lose most of the water through leaks in the system. Why should I suffer lack of floral abundance due to their carelessness and failure to maintain and invest?
However, I'm taking precautions and I'm investing in a water butt to collect the rainwater from my roof. I've been adding my homemade compost to the soil which will increase the water retention and I also plan to mulch heavily.
But push come to shove, I plan to engage in a little civil disobedience this summer. No one comes between me and my garden.
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3 comments:
Aren't there still some areas of Britain without water meters?
Few UK homes have water meters. We certainly don't. We might save a bit of money if we did, although unlike the Vol I am not particularly water-frugal.
So, water hogs pay the same as the frugal. Interesting concept, eh?
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