Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what specific long-term modelling it has selected, alongside Scottish Water, to undertake an assessment of drought risks over the next 25 years.
Scottish Water has recently updated its projections for the availability of water from its sources, using the UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) based on 2-degree and 4-degree scenarios, in line with advice from the Climate Change Committee. For areas where demand is predicted to outstrip the amount of water available from sources by 2050, the shortfall will total 280 megalitres per day during drought events equivalent to the worst on record. Scottish Water’s Long-Term Strategy recognises these pressures, and work will continue during the next Strategic Review period (2027 – 2033) to identify how to address the deficit.