UK urges deleting files to save water amid drought
The UK government is urging its citizens to take an unexpected step in the fight against a “nationally significant” water shortage: deleting old emails and photos. This unconventional appeal, issued by the National Drought Group, highlights the escalating severity of the nation’s water crisis and expands the scope of conservation efforts to include digital habits.
While individual digital decluttering might seem trivial compared to industrial water use or infrastructural leaks, officials contend that every small action contributes to a collective effort. Helen Wakeham, Environment Agency Director of Water, emphasized this point, stating, “Simple, everyday choices – such as turning off a tap or deleting old emails – also really helps the collective effort to reduce demand and help preserve the health of our rivers and wildlife.” The rationale behind this digital directive stems from growing concerns about the substantial water footprint of data centers, which require vast amounts of water for cooling their energy-hungry servers and for generating the electricity that powers them.
The precise impact of individual file deletion on national water reserves remains unquantified by the Environment Agency. However, the broader issue of data center water consumption is significant. A single small data center, particularly one relying on older evaporative cooling methods, can consume an estimated 25 million liters of water annually. The demand for electricity to power these centers further exacerbates water usage, as conventional fossil fuel power plants and nuclear reactors themselves depend heavily on water for cooling and to generate steam for turbines. This underscores a critical nexus between energy production and water availability, suggesting that a transition to renewable energy sources could alleviate some of this pressure.
Recognizing these environmental demands, major tech companies have been actively pursuing innovative cooling solutions. Microsoft, for instance, has explored unconventional approaches such as deploying data centers on the ocean floor and submerging servers in fluorocarbon-based liquid baths, aiming to drastically reduce their water footprint. These efforts reflect an industry-wide push to decouple digital expansion from increasing water dependency.
The government’s call to action comes amid a profoundly challenging period for the UK’s water supply. August marked the nation’s fourth heatwave of the summer, intensifying conditions that had already rendered the six months leading up to July the driest since 1976. Consequently, five regions across the UK have officially declared a state of drought, with an additional six areas experiencing “prolonged dry weather.”
Despite the dire circumstances, public responsiveness to water-saving appeals has shown promising results. The National Drought Group reported a 20 percent drop in water demand in the Severn Trent area from its July 11th peak, following targeted water-saving messaging. Beyond digital habits, addressing physical infrastructure remains paramount. Fixing leaks, for example, offers a tangible and significant impact: a single leaking toilet can waste between 200 and 400 liters of water daily, highlighting the importance of both individual vigilance and systemic maintenance in navigating the ongoing water crisis.