UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Water supplies dry up in U.K.
Q1. With reference to the emergency water legislation adopted in Britain in August 1976, consider the following:
1. Drought Orders under the Act were made by the Secretary of State on the application of the water authorities.
2. The Act allowed Non-Essential Use Bans to be imposed on industrial and commercial consumers.
3. The Act authorised the erection of standpipes but expressly barred any rationing of domestic supply.
4. Public local inquiries into applications for Drought Orders under the Act are governed by procedural rules made in 1984.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Drought Orders under the Act were made by the Secretary of State on the application of the water authorities.
- The Act allowed Non-Essential Use Bans to be imposed on industrial and commercial consumers.
- The Act authorised the erection of standpipes but expressly barred any rationing of domestic supply.
- Public local inquiries into applications for Drought Orders under the Act are governed by procedural rules made in 1984.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2, 3 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 1 and 4 only
Q2. The statutory power to make drought orders in England, first conferred by the Drought Act 1976, is today exercised under which one of the following enactments?
- A. Water Act 1989, which transferred the regional water authorities to private ownership
- B. Water Industry Act 1991, which governs the appointment and duties of water undertakers
- C. Water Resources Act 1991, which provides for ordinary and emergency drought orders
- D. Environment Act 1995, which established the Environment Agency for England and Wales
Q3. Which one of the following correctly states the superlative claim made about the British drought of 1976 in contemporary reports?
- A. It was the first occasion on which any part of the British Isles had ever been placed under water rationing
- B. It was the driest such spell since the rainfall record began, in 1727
- C. It was the only drought recorded in Europe that year, every other country registering normal rainfall
- D. It permanently ended piped supply to a million homes in South Wales, which were disconnected for good
Q4. Consider the following statements comparing the water-shortage measures of the 1976 British drought:
1. Guernsey had been rationing water since June 1976 under a declared state of emergency, whereas rationing in Jersey began only in the middle of August.
2. Average per-capita water use in Britain fell from about 190 litres a day in 1972 to about 95 litres a day in 1976.
3. Of the ten water authorities in England and Wales, only those in the west sought powers under the Drought Act, the eastern authorities managing without them.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Guernsey had been rationing water since June 1976 under a declared state of emergency, whereas rationing in Jersey began only in the middle of August.
- Average per-capita water use in Britain fell from about 190 litres a day in 1972 to about 95 litres a day in 1976.
- Of the ten water authorities in England and Wales, only those in the west sought powers under the Drought Act, the eastern authorities managing without them.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. The escalating water shortage in England during the current run of dry years was formally designated a 'nationally significant incident' by which one of the following bodies?
- A. Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority for England and Wales
- B. The Drinking Water Inspectorate, the drinking-water quality regulator
- C. The National Drought Group, convened by the Environment Agency
- D. The Committee on Climate Change, the statutory climate advisory body
Q6. When England's drought was declared a nationally significant incident in August 2025, how many regions of the country had been placed under official drought status?
- A. Three
- B. Five
- C. Six
- D. Eleven
Q7. England's water and sewerage industry is reported to be about 70 per cent foreign-owned, by investors based in how many countries?
Q8. Consider the following statements about the structure of the water industry in England:
1. Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, is the financial regulator of the water and sewerage companies.
2. The water and sewerage undertakings of England and Wales were transferred to private ownership in 1989.
3. No major new reservoir has been completed in England since 1992.
4. The privatised water and sewerage companies were reported in 2023 to be free of debt, having financed their investment wholly out of retained dividends.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, is the financial regulator of the water and sewerage companies.
- The water and sewerage undertakings of England and Wales were transferred to private ownership in 1989.
- No major new reservoir has been completed in England since 1992.
- The privatised water and sewerage companies were reported in 2023 to be free of debt, having financed their investment wholly out of retained dividends.
- A. 1 and 4 only
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1 and 3 only
Q9. During the Western Cape water crisis, the cap of 50 litres per person per day that formed the core of the 'Day Zero' response was imposed and enforced by which one of the following?
- A. The national Department of Water and Sanitation, acting alone under a countrywide water emergency
- B. The municipal administration of the City of Cape Town
- C. The Western Cape provincial legislature, under its exclusive power over municipal water supply
- D. The South African Weather Service, under its statutory mandate to declare droughts
Q10. Which one of the following is the flagship annual water-conservation campaign that entered its sixth edition in 2025, was launched on World Water Day with the theme 'Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari', and covers 148 districts?
- A. Atal Bhujal Yojana, the groundwater management scheme for water-stressed blocks
- B. Namami Gange, the integrated river conservation and rejuvenation programme
- C. Jal Jeevan Mission, the household tap water connection programme for rural India
- D. Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain
Q11. Within the United Kingdom, the lowest annual precipitation — around 500 mm, against a national average of about 1,000 mm — is recorded in which one of the following?
- A. The western Highlands of Scotland
- B. The uplands of central and northern Wales
- C. The fells of Cumbria in north-western England
- D. The eastern and south-eastern coastal areas of England