The impact of farmers need for water

Martin Redding, an Environment Officer and Assistant Engineering manager for the Witham Fourth District Internal Drainage Board, talks about changing agriculture and the subsequent increasing demand on water supplies.

What we’re seeing is, because agriculture is becoming so intensified now – it’s almost 7 days a week 365 days a year – their demand for water for irrigation, particularly during summer, it’s quite enormous. That is literally a drain on our system. So there are more ways at looking at increasing reservoirs potentially across the wide fenland, better use of technology so that if we are experiencing a rainfall event, or anticipate one, then it’s better for farmers to top up their Reservoir or irrigate their fields ahead of that weather front coming through so that we’ve always got a reserve, hopefully, within the catchment. It’s a lot easier to move a lot of water around after a lot of rainfall than it is to move not a lot of water when you haven’t got any to move.