IN THE beginning the Australian drought was fun. A talking point over the barbecue, an excuse to shower with a lover or spend more cloud-free days with friends at the beach. Tales of thirst-crazed camels rampaging through country towns merely added to the excitement.
Sometime last year, the mood changed – perhaps with the first inkling that water restrictions had all but destroyed urban gardens and that agricultural production across the country had fallen by a fifth. Last month, when water storage fell so low that energy supplies were threatened, the sense of panic became palpable. Australia is facing a…
