Sutherland on 'alert' as water scarcity warning raised

EXTREMELY dry weather has seen parts of the Highlands raised to the highest alert level for water scarcity.

All of Sutherland is now on 'alert' over water scarcity following an extended dry spell, while parts of Ross-shire are at the highest possible warning level.

Drought concerns have risen after an area extending from the western shores of Loch Ewe in the north, and down past Gairloch, Loch Maree, and Loch Torridon, to the northern parts of the Applecross peninsula in the south, are now listed as experiencing "significant water scarcity".

This is the highest possible alert level issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) in its weekly updates – and colour-coded as red accordingly.

It comes amid warnings from Sepa that the predominantly dry and warm weather is expected to continue well into July – raising concerns that the situation will grow worse as we head into summer.

Elsewhere in the Highlands, the situation has also grown worse in the past week. Parts of the Great Glen and the River Ness catchment extending into Inverness are now on the second-highest alert level –the orange-coded "moderate scarcity" – while every other part of the Highlands is now on "alert" after numerous areas were lifted a level higher on the warning scale, up from "early warning" this time last week.

A Sepa spokesman said: "Due to the widespread hot, dry weather over the last week, the rapid drying of ground conditions has continued.

Related: Drought fears rise in Highlands after water scarcity scale raised to second highest level

"This, combined with low river flows, has moved most of the rest of Scotland to Alert level. A brief change in the weather is expected with localised heavy showers forecast for Sunday and Monday before a return to predominantly dry weather mid-week. The anticipated average rainfall over the coming days is expected to do little to alleviate the current water scarcity situation and dry weather is expected to dominate into late June and early July."

Confirming the shift to the highest alert level in parts of Wester Ross, they continued: "The Loch Maree area has increased to Significant Water Scarcity due to prolonged extremely low river flows in the area.

"The northwest Highlands, extending down to Loch Ness, are also continuing to experience very low river levels. As a result, the Ness has increased to Moderate Scarcity, and more areas to the north and west of the highlands have moved to Alert level."

Sepa is advising the public and businesses to use water wisely.

"Water sources used for irrigating farmland are at risk of becoming limited in the Alert areas," they continued. "We are urging farmers in these areas, especially if taking water from burns and small rivers, to:

• Routinely check equipment isn’t leaking;
• Only use the water required for the use;
• Consider water saving measures for next irrigation season;
• If the catchment reaches Moderate Water Scarcity, consider your upcoming water needs and begin to plan with others in the catchment to share the resource or schedule abstractions.

"Managers of golf courses are asked to do the same."

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