NSW water woes worsen with river to dry up as tomato town faces crisis

The drought gripping much of NSW is tightening, forcing authorities to prepare to cut flows along a major river in the north-west, while job losses loom as towns in the Northern Tablelands start to dry.

Steven Gibbs walks in a dry section of Lake Burrendong
in western NSW as plunging reservoir levels trigger limited
water flows along the Macquarie River.

WaterNSW on Monday will announce that unless conditions improve, regulated flows along the Macquarie River below the town of Warren will cease from early spring to prioritise water supplies for towns and key users.

Even those users - such as the Western Plains Zoo, Cobar mines and Dubbo's abattoirs and golf club - are "at risk of having reduced access to water" without fresh inflows.

Pressure is likely to mount on Dubbo to introduce water restrictions as the main dam supplying the regional centre of about 40,000 sinks to just 6 per cent full.

Read the story from The Sydney Morning Herald by Peter Hannam - “NSW water woes worsen with river to dry up as tomato town faces crisis.”

‘He will fail farmers': Morrison pressured to tackle climate change as part of drought pledge

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is under pressure to acknowledge that climate change is a major driver of the drought gripping parts of regional Australia following his declaration that the big dry was his government’s number one priority.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says national drought action
 is a top priority, and critics say climate action should be a
 key part of the response.

Hours after his elevation to the top job on Friday, Mr Morrison cited the record-breaking drought as the nation’s “most urgent and pressing need right now”.

He underlined his commitment on Saturday, his first full day as prime minster, by meeting with national drought coordinator Stephen Day and Nationals leader Michael McCormack to discuss a national approach to the problem.

Read the story from The Age by Nicole Hasham - “‘He will fail farmers': Morrison pressured to tackle climate change as part of drought pledge.”