A villager looks for water as he walks on ground cracked by drought in Las Canoas Lake, some 59 km (50 miles) north of the capital. April 8,2010.The lack of rains caused by El Niño meterological Phenomena to decrease in water level of Lake Las Canoas, loc
IN PHOTO: A villager looks for water as he walks on ground cracked by drought in Las Canoas Lake, some 59 km (50 miles) north of the capital. April 8,2010.The lack of rains caused by El Niño meterological Phenomena to decrease in water level of Lake Las Canoas, located in the center of Nicaragua, affecting approximately 8 thousand peasants who live in surrounding areas.REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas

New Zealand's Canterbury region is facing the spectre of heavy drought much to the deteriment of farmers, who are now selling surplus cattle stock and also facing hardship from curbs on irrigation as the residents await rain. The farmers are distressed at the soil moisture in eastern and southern Canterbury becoming depleted to "severely drier than normal" levels. The outlook for rain also remains bleak, as per the data from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

Ivon Hurst, President, Federated Farmers' South Canterbury, said the region has a history of severe droughts across many decades from 1970s to 1990s. "We are in a drought - not an emergency, official drought where the government has to come in and give assistance, There is no moisture in the ground, all we have is consistently dry weather," Hurst said. Yahoo NZ report quoted Hurst saying that if it rains then "we are saved and have a good season and noted that the weather pattern gives the feel of a big drought as in the last century".

Better This Time

Hurst said farmers had been shedding stock even before Christmas, in anticipation of a serious drought. He told Radio NZ that the positive thing this time was that at least there was a good market for the stock. "It's not like the old droughts of the 70s, 80s and 90s when there was no feed and no market, that was disastrous, at least we have a market to sell into," the farmers leader noted. However, Niwa forecaster Chris Brandolino offered a semblance of hope to the farmers. He said there was going to be "some minor rain in southern Canterbury and eastern Canterbury". Irrigators are facing hardships with the prospect of rain eluding them. Restrictions on water supply came after an agreement between farmers and Environment Canterbury.

Low Irrigation

Hurst noted that South Canterbury lowland rivers have been completely shut off from irrigation, with only an environmental flow to keep the fish alive. Many parts of the North Island such as Wairarapa and areas of Waikato are drier than normal. "The Wairarapa region is extremely drier than normal, much like most of Canterbury," confirmed the Niwa forecaster. However, some eastern parts of the Waikato like Coromandel are pretty wet, which Brandolino said, "more of an exception than a rule."