More Water

Water is much on our minds in this party of the world, and not just because it rained heavily on our metal roof all night. Many of Australia’s major cities are still drifting toward a crisis as supplies diminish in the face of the country’s longest drought, thoughtless development, political inertia, and a political reluctance to stop people doing exactly what they want, which includes watering their lawns and washing their cars.

Most of rural New South Wales is in a worse state, residents worrying not so much about washing the dust off their SUVs, but about feeding their cattle and trying to grow their crops. Lawns? There’s no grass left in many places.

In and around Coffs Harbour, we can afford to feel smug because of climate, topography and the foresight of the local council, which has a nice, full reservoir up in the hills, topped up with supplies from local rivers, and has invested in water recycling.

In fact, one of the estate agents in town reports that the most frequently offered reason for moving here is a secure water supply. I feel it’s time we started keeping quiet about it.

Remember the UK’s short-lived Drought Minister? Well, no sooner had the Government unveiled its plan to save one of the country’s major river systems, the Murray-Darling, and the farmers that depend on it, than it started raining, not enough to solve the problem, but enough to make some think that the tide may have turned.

Drought is inseparable from the global warming debate, which has now made it to the top of the political agenda, though internationally, Australia has something of a bit part. If the country was shut down – power turned off, traffic stopped, no flights etc – then China would make up for the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in a mere eight months. However, there’s a strong feeling that because Australians are the highest per capita emitters, we have a moral duty to do more.

I find this comforting, and hope that the high moral tone continues when the taps run dry in Sydney and Adelaide. But don’t count on it.

Mower Meets Meter

Been a quiet time on this blog and I’m not sure why. Possibly because of my policy of not blogging unless I really want to say something or possibly because I wanted to avoid a series of entries like “not much happened today, really.” I suppose the two are the much the same thing. Anyway, last night, I destroyed our water meter with the motor mower.

Some cultural pointers are needed here to avoid me appearing a complete idiot, I feel. Water meters in Australia are outside your house, usually on the horizontal part of an inverted U of the water pipe sticking up above the ground. The stop-cock is also on this flimsy pipe so any passer-by can turn off your water if they wish, as a jolly prank, though they seem not to.

Ours emerges from a lush bed of buffalo grass and I still maintain the mower blades were nowhere near when the meter disintegrated in a shower of plastic, metal and dials, all hoisted into the air by a jet of water. The mower is fine, thanks.

The interesting thing about this is that a very friendly bloke from Coffs Harbour Water rolled up in a ute around three-quarters of an hour after my call and just as I finished the lawn, fitted a new meter in five minutes and left with the bits of the old one in a bag. This bearing in mind that, in UK terms, we live in the back of beyond. I then had a much-needed shower. Truly this is the lucky country.

Sydney – Water

It’s always a bit of shock arriving in Sydney after the rural calm of Sandy Beach, what with the crowds, the tall buildings and the traffic (OK, I’ll take the straw out of my hair, now). It makes quite an impact at first but then I found myself thinking how precarious it all was. Every time I turned on a tap, I remembered that the city’s water reserves were down to 35 per cent and there’s no sign of substantial rain. In fact, 92 per cent of New South Wales is now in drought and yet, with the exception of the announcement of the building of a controversial desalination plant, there’s no sign of any action to ensure the city’s water supplies.