The fire risk across the Bay of Plenty is heightened. Photo / File
Fire service authorities say the fire risk in the Bay of Plenty is higher than in the Napier area, where a forest fire razed 300 hectares of land this week.
The heightened risk comes as the Western Bay of Plenty District Council urges residents to conserve water.
More than
Steve Webb is the operations co-ordinator and deputy principal rural fire officer of rural fire authority Pumicelands.
He said the fire risk in the Bay was higher than the Napier fire area, according to Niwa's fire weather index.
"Our risks are higher up here than down [in Napier], and they just lost 300 hectares of forest."
He said the dry conditions were not uncommon for summer, but the drop in temperatures this year could mislead people to think the fire risk had, too.
"It just takes one person to make a mistake."
People could still get a fire permit but people were asked to be vigilant and adhere to the permit conditions.
Agriculture and horticulture farmers were also urged to check their machinery was clean and that they had water close by to put out any sparks.
The Western Bay council's utilities manager Kelvin Hill said the region was in a dry spell and warned water restrictions may be enforced for the first time since 2013 depending on rainfall in the next six weeks.
He said the district's supply was holding but demand was increasing by the day with the dry and warm weather.
The district consumed approximately 32 million litres per day during the Christmas holiday period.
He said the water used by high consumption users, such as businesses, was assessed on a week-by-week basis.
Once the Waiāri Water Supply Scheme opened next year, it would help provide an emergency water supply for Te Puke, Maketū, Pukehina Beach and Paengaroa, he said.
Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty provincial president Darryl Jensen said pasture was "relatively green" but the situation could change quickly for farmers.
He said the rainfall the Western Bay experienced this week would only "settle the dust" and strong "drying winds" that sucked the moisture out of the soil also presented a challenge to farmers.
"It's a battle for farmers to maintain pasture quality as it tends to dry out and go stalky," he said.
MetService communications meteorologist Lewis Ferris said the next month would bring a mixed bag of weather forecasts.
Temperatures had been increasing this week in the Bay of Plenty, with this weekend expected to be warm and settled.
Next week would start off with a couple of short-lived showers but, overall, the week looked like it would be drier than normal with temperatures above the average temperature of 23C for January. A ridge of high pressure would bring settled weather, light winds and sea breezes.
Tips for smart water use
- Install a showerhead with a low flow rate
- Turning off the tap when brushing teeth
- Using a bowl for shaving or scrubbing vegetables in the sink, rather than under a running tap
- Water plants in the early morning or evening to minimise evaporation
- Place mulch around plants to reduce water loss.
Source: Western Bay of Plenty District Council
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