The state government has cut off the river that supplies the northern NSW city of Tamworth in an emergency measure to stave off day zero, hoping to save water by piping it to town instead.

The once-proud Peel River – also described as a "glorified creek" by those who know and love it – is the lifeblood to the city of 62,000, which is heavily dependent on agriculture and was facing the prospect of running dry in six months without urgent intervention.

A bone on cracked earth at a property near Walgett, NSW, which has been affected by years of drought. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

WaterNSW blocked it at the village of Dungowan on Monday with a temporary weir made from a snake-like bladder of water, until a concrete structure further downstream is completed next week. The water will then be pumped through an existing pipeline until a new pipe to Chaffey Dam is built next year.

Mayor Col Murray said the city had no groundwater and had run out of alternatives.