I live in Frankston, a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria. I mention this on the off chance that someone reading this doesn't actually know me...
Last weekend I attended a conference and was astounded at the level of emotion coming from residents who are going to be affected by the Victorian Government's plan to pipe water from drought stricken farm lands north of the Great Dividing Range to Melbourne. Apparently this water is going to be a share of the water saved by more efficient irrigation and other means.
People in the city have absolutely no idea how hard this extended dry spell has been on country Victorians. Whether it's due to climate change or just a seasonal thing, these people are doing it hard. And we're going to take what little water they have and bring it to Melbourne so we can flush our toilets?
This folly, along with the ludicrously expensive, power hungry and environmentally disastrous desalination plant are totally and completely unnecessary.
There is plenty of water in Melbourne. We just need to recycle it.
Check out this site for some facts about recycled water:
http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=105654&catId=100285&tid=100008&p=1&title=Recycled+water+mythbuster
It's cheap and safe. End of story.
To stop this we need to hit the Victorian Government where it hurts the most - the ballot box. Write to your local member and tell her or him that this issue is a deal breaker, and that unless you hear that your local representative is standing up to this water piracy you'll be voting for the other guy.
You can find out more about the north south pipeline here:
http://www.plugthepipe.com/
I urge you to have a look, and take action!
1 comment:
Hey Marsh,
Didn't think I'd ever
a) read your blog; or
b) comment on it.
However, as a resident of London I am pleased to report that;
- although there is generally an abundance of rain, there is few places to store said downpours.
- as a result of this, London has, at times been faced with water restrictions. (hard to believe, but true)
- we have however, embraced the concept of "recycled water".
Yup, we drink poo.
Highly regulated mind you.
I'm thinking strict interview type process, only the best diets may apply...
All I can say is, the water is clear, it's drinkable, and whilst it might be "hard water", we cope. Satchels in the washing machine/dishwasher, extra moisturiser treatments on the hair and life is, well, liquid.
We drink poo, and live to tell the tale.
Perhaps an arid country such as Australia should stop trying to farm a desert by praying and/or dancing for rain and adopt some more feasible concepts for providing one of life's little necessities (well, if you're made of carbon, etc., etc., not going into the whole "what constitutes life" philosophy with you here!)
Embrace the poo! (it's thirst quenching!)
Cx
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