For many farmers, drought conditions are no longer the exception, they’re the rule, and that change in thinking has lead to a change in the language. The current dry spell has gone beyond a drought and become a “climate shift”. And it’s not going away.

Along with a new phrase, there are other ways of characterising it. Thanks to the Bureau of Meteorology’s records we know how much of Australia is affected by the current “climate shift” and to what extent. The following map shows rainfall — or lack of it — over the last three years:

Source: Bureau of Meteorology.

Click image for larger version.

The federal government has acknowledged that the current drought is more than a prolonged period of rainlessness. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is now distributing aid to those experiencing “exceptional circumstance” (EC), which covers “rare and severe events outside those a farmer could normally be expected to manage using responsible farm management strategies”. The following map shows which parts of the nation are currently covered by EC provisions. Note its correlation to the red patches on the chart above.

Source: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Click image for larger version.   Meanwhile, cityfolk have watched as water storage levels fall and water restrictions are tightened. Front gardens have withered. Cars have stayed dirty. Now heading into spring and eventually summer, many towns are beginning the dry season with less water than they had at this time last year. In its report card for 2006/2007 published on 1 July, the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) noted:

Water restrictions of varying degrees of severity were in place in almost all urban areas across Australia, with the exception of Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Restrictions have been in place in some cities and towns for some years now and during the last year the severity of the restrictions was increased quite significantly in many urban areas in the face of declining storage levels. Regional towns such as Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat in Victoria and Gosford/Wyong in New South Wales and Toowoomba in Queensland were particularly hard hit by severe restrictions that banned outdoor water use.

While farmers have been hardest hit by the “climate shift”, city dwellers have constant reminders that the drought reaches across the nation. The following WSAA table shows the level of water restriction across Australian capital cities on 1 July 2007:

City

Level

What’s permitted

Brisbane

Stage 5

Bucket or watering can of gardens and lawns between 4pm to 7pm three days per week. Safety aspects of vehicles by bucket. High users to submit water assessment form.

Sydney

Stage 3

Hand held hose and drip irrigation only on Wednesdays and Sundays before10am and after 4pm. Vehicles only by bucket.

Adelaide

Stage 3

Buckets and watering cans for outdoor trees, shrubs and plants. Household sprinklers, hoses and watering systems including drippers and any lawn watering banned for July and August.

Melbourne

Stage 3a

Hand held hoses between 6am to 8am on two days a week. Lawn watering banned. Only vehicle mirrors, windows and lights can be washed. Manual drip systems and automatic systems for limited hours two times per week.

Perth

Permanent

Hand watering at any time. Sprinklers two times per week between 6pm and 9am. Vehicles can be washed.

Canberra

Stage 3

No sprinkler or other irrigation system may be used on private gardens. Watering of lawns not permitted. Hand held hose between 7am and 10am; and 7pm and 10pm on alternate days. Vehicle washing banned.

Hobart

No restrictions

Darwin

No restrictions

The above reflects a simple reality – the amount of water available to each city. Finally, here’s what Australia’s capital cities have in store for the summer:

City

Storage level

Brisbane

17%*

Sydney

59.1%**

Adelaide

75%*

Melbourne

39.2%**

Perth

25%*

Canberra

41%*

Darwin

95%*

Hobart

77%*

Source: * WSAA, figures at July 2007; ** relevant water authority