If Water is Scarce, people will pay for it

The Great Water Conspiracy

Why would the previous government spend $10 billion buying back water from farmers in the Murray-Darling area, instead of spending the same amount of money in putting more water into the system? Most years, the northern tip of Australia suffers from devastating floods, most of the runoff goes unnoticed into the Gulf of Carpentaria. None of that water is re-channelled, stored or diverted to the areas that really need it.

During the height of the drought in 2009 in Adelaide, the Torrens dam mysteriously opened. This dam is under 24 hour surveillance and the gates opened up (accidentally and unnoticed) letting all the water out. The centre of Adelaide was left with the dry rotten stench from an empty lake. And no one noticed the water escaping.

Water is one of the only resources which is totally recyclable. It is never used up. Yet, children are being taught at school that water is running out. We are told to be "water wise." This whole indoctrination is aimed at one thing:

If it's scarce, then we won't mind paying for it!

There are as many solutions as there is water on the planet. Which incidentally is about 75% water. There is a huge artesian basin under most of Australia. This water can be pumped out, and if necessary, replenished from one of our overflowing lakes in the north of the country. Lake Argyle is nearly 19 times bigger than the Sydney Harbour. It alone could solve all our water problems. What about the Burdekin Dam, which floods just about every year. Diverting this to the Warrego river every summer would provide water to the Darling and Murray rivers downstream during the time when they most need it. This would provide water to Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Victorians are paying a premium on water, because now they have built a desalination plant. At a huge cost to tax payers, rate payers and the environment.

There are water solutions which use prevailing weather patterns to move water around (yes, clouds can move tonnes of water at no cost!). There are water solutions which mean diverting or partly diverting flooded streams. Helping to mitigate the damage of floods and to provide needed water to communities which really need it. There are other solutions which incorporate the harvesting of mist and clouds and even dew on the ground. Other solutions incorporate cloud seeding and reforestation. Forests transpire and the evaporated water forms clouds which carry the water until they hit a mountain or a cold front – and we have rain!

This isn’t quantum physics it’s early high school science! Governments need to stop discussing it and start acting on real-long-term solutions for our water challenges.

Mario Cortés is a Corporate Trainer with a bee in his bonnet on the subject of Water for Australia. You can join the open discussion about water at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaterAustralia