Record flooding in Egland has produced water shortages - here is some advice on how to cope and what to do.

Dr Chris Steele provides advice on how to cope with water shortages.

The English summer of 2007 has been a washout - literally. Record rainfall has seen rivers bursting their banks and flooding wide areas.

However this excess of rainwater has caused a shortage of drinking water in some affected areas. This is because the rain and river water has contaminated fresh water supplies. This has lead to water shortages and panic buying of bottled water. So what should you do if you are one of those suffering?

If you can get access to bottled water, then this is a good solution for ensuring that you stay hydrated. However please spare a though for any infirm or elderly neighbours - they will struggle to get to the shops and may have difficulty carrying back sufficient bottled water for their needs - so check in on them and make sure they have enough water.

If you have an baby and are feeding it on formula milk, please note that bottled water is NOT the best for making up the milk. This is because many bottled waters contain relatively high levels of salts and other minerals that infant kidneys have difficulty in dealing with. However if this is your only source of water then you should use it as the risks from dehydration for a baby are much higher than the effects of the higher salt concentrations.

If you have been provided with water from a so-called bowser - a mini water tank - then the advice is that this should be boiled before use. Once boiled and allowed to cool it can be stored in containers in the fridge.

You should use flood water to flush your toilet, although make sure you wash your hands in clean water afterwards. You should also consider only flushing the toilet when strictly necessary, as it is not required after every visit.


This content was created on Tue 24 July 2007

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