The worst drought to strike Chile in more than half a century is devastating the South American country's agricultural sector and creating a new, existential threat to water supplies to cities.

"Chile has been living as if it were a country that had an abundance of water," said the country's conservative President Sebastian Pinera as the emergency mounted last month.  "Climate change and global warming have changed that situation perhaps forever.  We have to get used to using resources such as water and energy more effectively."

Pinera announced the creation of a working group of government and business interests to tackle the impact of the drought; he's also spending US$56 Million on tapping new water sources and trucking water out to the worst-hit victims, Chile's farmers.

The agricultural ministry says more than 30,000 head of livestock have died of hunger or thirst, and crops have been failing for lack of rain.  Independent farmers report losing more than half of their herds, when they have the heart to do a head count.

"I don't count them because every day there's a death," said farmer Alfredo Estay.  "I can't take any more.  I don't have anything to feed them."  He contemplates leading the surviving cattle into the barren mountains, because it would be more merciful if they die more quickly.  Estay's five acre peach orchard is also barren.

Chile hosts the annual international climate conference COP25 later this year.