Drought a ticking time BOM

THE Bureau of Meteorology has delivered an urgent briefing to the State Government about a possible devastating El Nino weather event that could be catastrophic for Queensland farmers who have already suffered five years of drought.

More than half of Queensland remains drought-declared, with some shires in the west without rain since 2013.

In some regions, including Cunnamulla, deep in the state’s southwest where sheep and cattle are a critical part of the local economy, populations have fallen and property prices have plunged.

Paroo Shire mayor Lindsay Murdoch has seen unimproved land values drop 40 per cent as the worst drought in a century tightens its grip.

“This is now comparable to the Federation Drought in our region,’’ Cr Murdoch said, referring to the drought that gripped Australia in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

“We have lost around 35 per cent of our population over the last 20 years and that, as well as the recent loss in unimproved land value, is directly related to the drought.’’

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries says there are 23 shires and four part-shires in drought, or 57 per cent of the state.

That’s a vast improvement on the situation in 2017 when 88 per cent of the state was under drought.

But there are deep concerns within the Bureau of Meteorology and other climate research organisations that there is now a 50 per cent chance of an El Nino forming in the latter half of 2018.