Redefining Drought - Schoolkids In NSW Town Have To Bring Their Own Drinking Water To School

[hatrack]

IN the driest town on the driest river in the country, the children have to bring their own drinking water to school.

The residents of Booligal in southern NSW can only listen with envy to the reports of downpours and floods in the north of the state. Their river, the Lachlan, stopped flowing on Christmas Eve and the drenching Christmas Day rains which brought hope to so many farmers, brought them just 14mm - an amount that quickly soaked into the parched ground and brought no run-off at all.

As the Bureau of Meteorology declared 2009 the second-hottest year on record, local farmer Matt Ireson reflected on another year of failed rains.

Their total for last year was 182.7mm. "We normally have 13 inches (325mm)," he said. "It was another dry year. Our last flood was in 1989-90. The last 20 years have been getting drier."

EDIT

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/high-and-dry-in-undeclared-disaster-zone/story-e6frg6nf-1225816415609

[nightrain]

1. knr. Thanks for posting this. Terribly sad and scary.

[Captain Hilts]

2. Wow. These are tough times in Oz. nt

[damntexdem]

3. There's no drought about it, that's a drought.

But without a doubt, doughty Aussies will defy and defeat the drought.