Water in demand for farm tanks

Empty water tanks are driving up demand for truck deliveries to parched Manawatu¯ farms.

Domestic Water Services Nigel Hobden said it had been a steady past few days for water deliveries

‘‘But last week was really busy. I did eight to 10 loads each day and the shortage is mainly around Bulls and Marton.’’

There had been no real rain in most of Manawatu¯ and Rangitı¯kei for the past two months.

The region was facing a ‘‘green drought’’, with most paddocks still green, but low on grass. The sand hills were brown with no stock feed.

‘‘Some people’s tanks are empty, but some have only a bit of water, and they are proactively buying water before they run totally out,’’ said Hobden.

He said deliveries were going mostly to rural properties on tank water.

‘‘About 99 per cent are tanks, and the other per cent has been filling up swimming pools.’’

Hobden said the cost depended on the distance trucks had to travel, but ranged from $200 to $250, excluding GST.

He said a truck load contained 10,500 litres and water came from Marton, Bulls and Feilding’s town supply.

Farm adviser Gary Massicks, from Feildings’ Bakerag, said farm crops and pasture needed a good drink of rain to boost the growth of both.

He passed many water tankers between Feilding and Palmerston North delivering to dry rural tanks.

Massicks said ewes, lambs and cows and calves were doing all right, as they still had feed ahead of them.

But he said that feed was drying up, and pasture growth rates were about half of normal for this time of the year, as the dry conditions took their toll, he said.

Massicks said Dannevirke and parts of Central Hawke’s Bay had ‘‘oodles of grass’’, with farmers buying stock at sales in Manawatu¯ and taking them to greener pastures.

But he said the region of Wairarapa was very dry and many store lambs from there were being unloaded at the Feilding stock sale and it could absorb them.