Huge tract of Australia in ‘biggest ever drought’

SYDNEY

The Australian state of Queensland is in the grip of its most widespread drought ever, with close to 80 percent of its territory parched after a failed wet season, officials said Friday.
Australia is famous for its droughts and flooding rains, and Queensland was hit by devastating floods in 2010-11 which left much of the state a disaster zone and brought the state capital Brisbane to a standstill.
But the situation has now radically reversed, with 79 percent of the massive northeastern state — all bar a narrow northern coastal zone and a few other pockets — declared in drought.
“Queensland is a big state and there is usually a drought somewhere, but this is the largest area of Queensland that has ever been drought-declared at one time,” state agriculture minister John McVeigh said.
Queensland is nearly seven times the size of Britain, with an area of 1.7 million square kilometres.
McVeigh said February was normally one of the wettest times of the year, but this time round many shires missed out on rain altogether.