---
title: "Australia Is Running out of Drinking Water"
description: "Eastern Australia is approaching Day Zero. Some towns have already run out of water and several more probably will before the year's end."
date: "2019-09-19"
modified: "2019-09-19"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski.md"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/australia-drinking-water"
categories:
  - "Environment"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "australia"
  - "day zero"
  - "environment"
  - "the digest"
  - "water"
---

# Australia Is Running out of Drinking Water

![Eastern Australia is approaching Day Zero. Some towns have already run out of water, and several more probably will before the year's end.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/australia-is-running-out-of-water.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Slow Drip

Over a dozen towns and cities in eastern Australia are fast approaching Day Zero — the day that the last of the drinking water runs dry.

As global climate change intensifies, Australia has been hit hard by an unprecedented wave of droughts and water shortages, [according to *Agence France-Presse*](<https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/day-zero-looms-australian-outback-climate-change-bites-doc-1k00ia1>). Some affected towns are already out of water, while authorities say the others only have a few months left and may run dry before year's end — driving home the terrifying reality of a world burned by [environmental collapse](<https://futurism.com/climate-change-caused-humans.md>).

## Ghost Town

Farms are already running dry, and stores are shuttering as people are preoccupied with survival, *AFP* reports. Some authorities have reported "water thefts."

"I do know of some growers who are literally bone dry and have decided to plant nothing this year and practically close their businesses down in the short-term," citrus farmer Angus Ferrier told *AFP*. Ferrier personally had to dig up thousands of his trees and expects to sacrifice thousands more.

## Precious Caravan

Australian authorities can't fix the climate. But they can spend the next year shipping in water — an expensive, temporary fix reminiscent of the suggestion to [drag an iceberg to South Africa ](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/iceberg-south-africa.md>)when [water supplies dwindled](<https://futurism.com/cape-town-water-crisis-pushed-back.md>) there.

"You get the feeling that everyone's on edge because you've got to watch everything you do," Tom Hehlen, a resident of the Australian town of Stanthorpe, told AFP.

**READ MORE:** ['Day Zero' looms in Australian Outback as climate change bites](<https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/day-zero-looms-australian-outback-climate-change-bites-doc-1k00ia1>) \[*Agence France-Presse*\]

**More on water shortages:** *[Cape Town Has More Time to Solve Its Water Crisis. How Will It Use It?](<https://futurism.com/cape-town-water-crisis-pushed-back.md>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)

## More

- [Cape Town Is Set to Run Out of Water in Less Than One Hundred Days](<https://futurism.com/cape-town-drought-day-zero.md>)
- [Pollution Runoff Causes Entire Lake to Turn Bright Pink](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/pollution-lake-pink.md>)
- [Australia Is Planting a Billion Trees to Fight Climate Change](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/australia-planting-billion-trees.md>)
- [Australia Arrests Dozens for Starting Bushfires on Purpose](<https://futurism.com/australia-arrests-dozens-starting-bushfires.md>)
- [Cape Town Is Running Out of Water. Can We Prevent A Global Crisis?](<https://futurism.com/cape-town-running-out-wate-prevent-global-crisis.md>)
- [One Way to Sate South Africa’s Thirst: Bring in an Iceberg](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/iceberg-south-africa.md>)
- [Australia Has Big Plans to Save the Great Barrier Reef. But It Can’t Do It Alone.](<https://futurism.com/australia-great-barrier-reef-climate-change.md>)
- [US Army Says Thirsty Soldiers Are Drinking Too Much Bottled Water](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/army-bottled-water-thirsty-soldiers-drinking.md>)