Heavy clouds hang over Maryborough, Queensland, on a humid mid-December morning.
Even though the very air feels thick with moisture, it won’t rain. It hasn’t rained with any significance since March or April, depending on who you ask.
The drought in Maryborough is expected to worsen over time, Wide Bay and Burnett Environment Council president Roger Currie says, with projections showing the regions would become drier because of the changing climate.
Mr Currie is an environmental consultant based in Maryborough, and advises business and government on how to meet environmental outcomes. He’s been active in the region for decades.
Bureau of Meteorology data show that over the past 48 months, Maryborough’s rainfall has been very much below average. The total rainfall received in December was a third of the long-term average.
“The industry’s got to start to think about whether they’ve got a future or they don’t, because indications are that it’s going to get dryer and we’re on a rainfall deficit,” he says. “The climate models indicate that’s pretty accurate, and we don’t have a guaranteed water supply for cane.
“When it’s this dry, even the Mary River runs dry, so given that cane needs massive amounts of water … it’s probably on its knees at the moment and may not survive the next decade.”
Salient points = “The industry’s got to start to think about whether they’ve got a future or they don’t, because indications are that it’s going to get dryer and we’re on a rainfall deficit,” he says. "
