Just a word would help

The Met Office was among the organisations that joined environment minister Caroline Spelman at a summit on water shortages this week.

Water companies have spent years treading the fine line between informing their customers about water resource levels and peddling an unwelcome message to a public cowering under its umbrella.
We grumble about the weather all the time and it’s often because rain seems to linger in the mind. One useful way that the Met Office could help would be to acknowledge, sometimes, that endless dry and sunny days are not always a cause for celebration. It’s not a simple nationwide message, given that northern areas have no water shortages. But among the pollen levels and the weather alerts, it would be helpful – especially in local reports – if forecasters could occasionally link long dry spells to water levels.
Janet Wood

This article first appeared in Utility Week’s print edition of 24 February 2012.
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