Australia residents facing water shortages

BRISBANE, Australia, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Residents of Queensland, Australia, need to limit their water usage in the face of ongoing shortages in the state, officials said.

Queensland Water Commission executive director Dan Spiller said while additional water supplies are being brought in as a precaution, officials are asking state residents to use water "efficiently," the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Wednesday.

"The key thing for us is we think people can save more water without changing the lifestyle that they enjoy and essentially that comes down to common sense," Spiller said.

"It comes down to: don't water during the middle of the day, when you do water use efficient appliances and just use water efficiently within the house."

The lack of water supplies comes amid a drought in Queensland that began when early summer brought hot temperatures to the Australian state.

The drought prompted officials in the Queensland city of Toowoomba to build a pipeline to Wivenhoe Dam to gain additional access to water.

Toowoomba Mayor Peter Taylor told the Australian broadcaster the pipeline, along with other emergency projects, would help ease water restrictions in the city.