Raglan and other parts of the Waikato are now officially in drought. This was announced by the Government on Wednesday. Rainfall figures provided by Raglan Weather show that in Raglan there was just 38mm of rain in January, 43mm in February, and 4mm so far in March.
The Government’s formal declaration today of a drought in Waikato is a positive move for communities under stress, says Waikato Regional Council chairman Peter Buckley. The move followed a request for a declaration last Friday by the multi-agency Waikato Regional Drought Committee.
Mr Buckley, a north Waikato dairy farmer who also chairs the drought committee, said the declaration and the assistance measures it ushers in are “very welcome, especially amongst farmers under more extreme stress because of the big dry. “These are tough times for farmers and others in our region and I’m grateful to the Government for responding positively to the committee’s call.”
The Government says assistance goes mainly to the groups who are coordinating support for individuals and businesses, as well as providing for some direct help to families in extreme need.
“People who need the help being offered shouldn’t hold off putting their hand up,” said Mr Buckley.“Also, I’d urge people in areas under stress to keep an eye out for each other and support each other through these tough times.”
Meanwhile in Raglan, water usage is going down despite the dry weather. Stats published by the Waikato District Council show water usage dropping from above 2000 cubic metres a day to just over 1900 cubic metres a day. This is well down on the peak water usage when visitors were in Raglan in January. Raglan people have acted on the ‘level 3’ call to reduce water usage. There is still plenty of water at the springs and there have been no pump failures so water remains plentiful in Raglan township. For people on tank supply the story is different with Raglan Water’s tanker busy every day taking water to replenish empty domestic tanks.
Water consumption figures
|
Mon 25 Feb |
Tues 26 Feb |
Wed 27 Feb |
Thurs 28 Feb |
Fri 1 Mar |
Sat 2 Mar |
Sun 3 Mar |
|
| Raglan | 2070 | 2014 | 2103 | 1902 | 1946 | 1977 | 1904 |
Note: information is in cubic metre. 1 cubic metre = 1000 litres
Raglan is now at Level 3 restrictions on the “Smart Water” scale. Raglan 23 has been told that this is because Raglan is a part of WDC’s ‘district-wide’ approach, even though there is adequate water available in Raglan. This means that there is a total ban on domestic sprinklers and irrigation systems and restrictions on outdoor water use for commercial properties.