Australia to turn off the tap on farmers as drought bites

Australia warned Thursday that unless heavy rains fell soon irrigation water for the nation’s prime farmland would be cut off, deepening a crippling drought’s drag on the economy.

…Howard said scarce water supplies were needed for urban communities facing critical shortages due to a drought scientists have described as the worst in a century.

“It’s a grim situation and there’s no point in pretending to the Australian public otherwise,” Howard told reporters.

AFP