Impact of big dry widens

Hot, dry weather have led to water restrictions for parts of the Mackenzie.

Mackenzie District Council spokesman Chris Clarke said the conditions which had persisted since the start of the year had reduced flows in the Opihi River, causing level one water restrictions for Fairlie and Kimbell, with Twizel likely to follow.

As of yesterday, Fairlie and Kimbell residents are not permitted to water their lawns and using sprinklers or hoses is restricted to two hours per property a day.

Adhering to the restrictions would ensure there was enough water for the essential needs of households, businesses, and public services, Clarke said.

‘‘Given the hot, dry summers experienced in the district, water restrictions usually happen from time to time and there is no reason for concern,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s likely that Twizel will see similar restrictions in the near future.

‘‘However, there is rain forecast in the district for Tuesday [today] and MetService currently have a warning in place for significant rainfall in the headwaters of the Canterbury lakes and rivers, so the situation can change very quickly.’’

The announcement comes less than a week after the Timaru District Council put level one water restrictions across the district.

Council spokesman Stephen Doran said there had been a ‘‘small decrease’’ in water use since the restrictions were imposed, with the average daily water demand in Timaru in January being 34.1 million litres.

‘‘But people need to do more to conserve water where possible,’’ Doran said.

‘‘With some rain forecast this week we should be able to delay going to level two, but this could change if it gets drier or there is an increase in water usage,’’ he said.

Waimate District Council asset group manager Dan Mitchell said water restrictions were not being considered for the district, which is supplied by two deep bores.

‘‘We are continuing our monitoring programme whilst we are pumping for longer, we still have plenty of capacity at both of our supply bores,’’ Mitchell said.

Meanwhile, speed restrictions on the highway between Fairlie and Tekapo were lifted yesterday morning as a 100-hectare fire burning alongside it since Friday began to ebb.

About 40 Fire and Emergency (Fenz) personnel remained to monitor the fire on State Highway 8 between Kimbell and

Burkes Pass.

More than 500 lambs have been killed and 7.5 hectares of forestry, 78 hectares of tussock, and an 125-year-old building razed since the hillside fire began near Stanton Station at 4am on Friday.

‘‘Operations are progressing well . . . The remaining fire activity is well-contained and is expected to burn out over the next few days,’’ Clarke said.

‘‘Due to the significant progress made the number of resources on site tomorrow [Tuesday] is likely to be significantly reduced.’’

Clarke said Fenz and the council were ‘‘very grateful’’ for those who had ‘‘worked tirelessly over the last four days to help deliver an effective response to this event’’.

‘‘People need to do more to conserve water where possible.’’ Stephen Doran Timaru District Council spokesman