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Soaring temperatures driven by climate change are whipping up ever-more intense storms inundating cities with flash floods but leaving the countryside and crucial agricultural land parched, an Australian study has found. Researchers at Australia's University of New South Wales (UNSW) found that while hotter weather sparked heavier storms leading to floods in built up areas, it also reduces moisture in the soil, which then quickly absorbs any excess and reduces water flow in rural rivers. Experts say decreases in waterways in farming areas threatens agriculture and food security, requiring urgent attention amid a forecast rise in the global population by 23 percent to nine billion over the next two decades. Meanwhile, they point out that city infrastructure is struggling to cope with the harsher downpours, with flood damage worldwide costing more US$50 billion in 2013 a figure expected to double in the next 20 years.