Australia’s drought impact: Drought town hangs on

World
Europe

02:45

To really appreciate just how dry the rural New South Wales town of Murrurrundi is, one needs to take a trip to the town's dam.

Murrurrundi town dam /CGTN Photo

Murrurrundi town water supervisor James Davis showed CGTN where the water level would be in a normal year, compared to where it is now at just 10 percent of its capacity.

"We are on the highest water restrictions. You are not allowed to use any water outside, you are allowed a three-minute shower, and two loads of washing a week,” said Davis.

Rodney Swansborough (R) in his Murrurrundi garden /CGTN Photo

That's forced many in this town of less than 900 people to change the way they think about the precious resource.

"We cannot water the garden. We are only allowed a watering can to be used for one or two hours at night. No hoses can be used on the garden, you can't wash your car, you can't do any of those things so we are actually saving buckets of water from our sink to put on our garden,” said Rodney Swansborough.

Murrurrundi is one of a growing list of victims in the drought gripping much of Australia's east. It's turned once fertile paddocks into dust bowls and left many farmers struggling to feed livestock that can no longer graze along the parched land.

Drought-stricken paddock from above in New South Wales /Reuters Photo

"Murrurrundi isn't the only town that is running out of water, other towns are in crisis as well so it doesn't just affect farmers, it affects every other livelihood as well,” said Davis.

Murrurrundi town dam /CGTN Photo

The town may have found a temporary solution to its water woes before the dam is predicted to dry up, but with the dam this low before heading into the usually hot, dry summer months, the outlook is not promising.

(Top image: Sheep eat feed on a drought-affected farm located on the outskirts of the town of Tamworth, north-west of Sydney in Australia, August 25, 2018. /VCG Photo)

8733km