Requests for emergency drinking water from Australian farmers are up 250 per cent, according to a major rural charity.
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Rural Aid has been delivering water tank refills to registered primary producing families for a number of years.
Rural Aid chief executive officer John Warlters said dry times had hit hard.
"Farmers around the country have been unsettled by how quickly the rain 'tap' has been turned off," Mr Warlters said.
"In June last year, Rural Aid received six requests for a water tank refill. In June this year, Rural Aid received 21 requests for a water tank refill."
"It's a huge increase and shows that the pain of low rainfall is already being felt in the bush."
Speaking during Water Week (August 22-24), Mr Warlters said Rural Aid believed no Australian farmer should live without access to clean drinking water.
In addition to paying for water carters to deliver fresh drinking water to farmers, Rural Aid also runs a tank delivery program.
In the past year alone, Rural Aid has delivered 163 water tanks to primary producing households across Australia.
Victorian dairy farmer Mark Laity said the water tank he received from Rural Aid was a huge boost.
In the past five years, he's faced severe drought, life-threatening bushfires and floods on his East Gippsland property.
Mark and his family ran out of drinking water in the drought.
"There was no water left here at all, not even a drop in any of the dams, they were all bone dry. The creek stopped running; the whole lot," Mark said.
He thanked Rural Aid for his tank, which provided much needed water security.
"You didn't realise how much you relied on it [water] and how much you actually did go through."
Mr Warlters said it was Rural Aid was asking for the public's help to top up the tanks.
"It's our aim to deliver 500 full water tanks to Australian farmers and rural communities before 2025 to equip them for survival during future disaster events," Mr Warlters said.
"Rural Aid is calling for Water Heroes in these dry times," Mr Warlters finished.
CLICK HERE for information on Rural Aid's Water Hero campaign.
