UK: Prime Minister chairs National Emergency Committee meeting amid heat and drought

London, August 12 (KUNA) -- The British Prime Minister’s Office announced on Wednesday that Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a meeting of the National Emergency Committee to discuss the government’s response to the heatwave sweeping the country, along with the accompanying drought and significant drops in water levels. The Prime Minister’s Office stated in a bulletin that the meeting was attended by the ministers of the interior, health, environment, agriculture, and food, as well as heads of several related bodies and agencies, including the Environment Agency and the Met Office. This inaugural meeting coincided with the release of official data confirming that England and Wales have experienced more than 1,000 wildfires and grassland fires since the beginning of the year, with temperatures reaching record highs of 36 degrees Celsius and forecasts predicting a rise to 38 degrees Celsius on Thursday. For its part, the Environment Agency revealed that drought conditions, driven by rising temperatures, now cover three-quarters of England, affecting 45 million people, and noted that several counties have imposed bans on non-essential water use, impacting approximately 27 million residents. Previously, the Environment Agency had warned that reservoir, lake, and river levels had fallen to 69 percent, which is 10 percentage points below the long-term average, and confirmed that five major natural reservoirs had reached “exceptionally” low levels. (End) M.R.N./A.S.