To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Aussie Farmers Bracing To Completely Run Out Of Water In Coming Days

Aussie Farmers Bracing To Completely Run Out Of Water In Coming Days

Confronting pictures have revealed just how dry it is.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Rural Australia has been grappling with the crippling drought for decades now.

While the severity of it has waxed and waned, many farmers will tell you that they've been struggling to get much out of the land that their families have used for generations.

However it seems like things are only going to get worse...much worse. Some areas of the country are bracing for Day Zero - the terrifying day where water runs out.

Channel 9

Unless there's a massive downfall in the next few weeks, places like Dubbo, Warren, Narromine and Nyngan in New South Wales will be without water.

It's not only a lack of rainfall that's just been affecting farmers but also the scorching hot temperatures, which have dried up any groundwater that was still hanging around.

Steven runs the Bolivia Station in the New South Wales New England region and has told Channel 9 just how dire the situation is.

"Feeding day in, day out, that's just what we've got to do at the moment to survive," he told 9News.

"We've got no feed, water is getting to a minimum. If this keeps up, with [temperatures] warming up - we will run out of water.

Channel 9

"It's the worst drought in living memory."

The state's river operator and bulk water supplier WaterNSW revealed earlier this month that the well-below average rainfall has led many dams and water supplies to be critically low.

The Macquarie River usually gets nearly 1450 gigalitres of water inflow every year and there has just been 97 over the past two years, meaning it's at 29 per cent of usual levels.

If you think that's bad, the Gwydir River in northern New South Wales only received 19GL over the last year. It usually gets around 1,141GL every year.

Channel 9

Forecasts predict if these conditions continue then the town of Inverell will dry up around March 2021.

Steven's mum Fran also told 9News: "Everything is stretched to the limit. It's like a rubber band, everything's got that rubber band connecting it and you're just wondering when one of those rubber bands is going to break."

"He's dealing with that and - for a 30-year-old - that's a lot to bear. There are days when you just cry."

But this water crisis isn't just affecting farmers far away from the coast. Projections have listed Sydney running out of water by October 2020 if it doesn't get a massive rain dumping of rain.

Featured Image Credit: Channel 9

Topics: News, Australia