How Do You Get Emergency Water? A UK Guide
If your water supply has turned off, you might wonder how to get an emergency water supply to your property.
Many homes and businesses across the UK rely on clean, safe water for their daily activities – making it vital that a water supply is accessible at all times of the day.
This article will explore the question, ‘how do you get emergency water?’. We’ll look at where emergency water comes from and where you can access it.
Let’s get into it!
What Is Emergency Water?
Emergency water is a service usually brought to you by your water provider. It’s a backup supply of water that may come as:
- A supply of bottled water
- Bulk supplies or water
- Tankered water
These services will be offered when there is an issue with the normal water supply that will prevent you from getting safe, clean water or if it has been turned off altogether.
To ensure you are kept from access to water, your provider will present you with alternatives for the duration of your time without it.
Do All Water Retailers Offer Emergency Water?
Water retailers should ensure their customers always have access to water. However, not all retailers offer emergency water services, and it may vary between the retailer’s size and the locations of their service areas.
Some larger water retailers may have emergency water supplies available in the event of a disruption to the regular supply, such as a burst water main or a water treatment plant outage.
Others may reserve their emergency water supply for natural disasters and other large-scale events that will cause significant water supply disruptions.
Can You Get Emergency Water Elsewhere?
In the case of a natural disaster, the government will generally be responsible for ensuring that everyone has access to water – especially if they expect the damage to the water supply to take a long time to fix. This is an essential service as it helps prevent the spread of disease and illness from dehydration.
In a small disruption, you may be expected to buy your emergency water supplies from a shop. This includes buying bottled water to survive a night whilst repairs are happening to the wider system.
If disruptions continue, you can sometimes claim money back from your water retailer to compensate.
What Is Water Contingency Planning?
Water contingency planning is the technical term for developing a comprehensive strategy to ensure the continued delivery of safe and reliable water to your property or business.
The planning process normally involves identifying potential risks and hazards that may impact the water supply, for example:
- Natural disasters
- Power outages
- Cyber attacks
- Equipment failures
It also involves developing strategies to mitigate those risks; and ensure that essential water services can be quickly restored or temporarily replaced.
How Do You Set Up A Water Contingency Plan?
Water contingency plans may include things such as:
- Stockpiling emergency supplies of water treatment chemicals, ensuring redundancy in critical equipment.
- Establishing backup power sources and identifying alternative water sources.
- Setting up communication plans to ensure that information is effectively disseminated to stakeholders and the public in an emergency.
Most commonly, a contingency plan will be set up in collaboration with your water retailer; particularly if it’s on behalf of your business.
If a water outage has a significant effect, it’s important to have a well-thought-out; regulation-approved plan to maintain the water supply as best as possible.
What Should I Do If My Retailer Doesn’t Offer A Plan?
If your water retailer does not offer an emergency plan; this may be a sign that they need to be equipped to handle any supply chain issues that come your way.
If the water supply is important to your organisation; it is always worth checking what options are available before signing up with retailers.
Alternatively, it is not too difficult to change retailers – you might find another supplier that offers you a much better deal with much more security. Don’t be afraid to shop around and see your options when choosing a company to provide your water.
In Conclusion,
We hope this article has helped answer the question ‘How Do You Get Emergency Water?’.
In conclusion, your water retailer should always be able to provide you with a backup water solution or advice on how to get one. However, if you are without water for a significant period, contacting your local council for help and advice is best.
