Drought-hit Australian towns prepare for 'unimaginable' water crisis

[rooster59]

Drought-hit Australian towns prepare for 'unimaginable' water crisis

By Jonathan Barrett

 

A view of cracked earth due to drought at a small water reservoir in Armidale in rural Australia September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Barrett

 

GUYRA, Australia (Reuters) - The little town of Guyra in eastern Australia lies next to a freshwater lagoon just half a day's drive from Sydney, but its drinking water is due to run dry in 400 days' time.

 

The local authorities have been trucking in fresh water, built a pipeline to a local dam and will soon start drilling in the hope of finding new supplies. For Mayor Simon Murray, the biggest worry is that Guyra is not alone.

 

"A lot of towns are forecast to run out at the same time - and then where do you get the water from?" he said, referring to an area that is home to some 180,000 people.

 

It is part of a much bigger problem in a country unused to widespread financial hardship; Australia has enjoyed growth for a generation yet livelihoods are now at risk from drought worsened by climate change, a predicament more familiar to developing countries.

 

Parts of northern and inland New South Wales, along with southern Queensland, have been in drought since 2016, severely depleting river and dam levels.

 

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says the drought is being driven, in part, by warmer sea-surface temperatures impacting rainfall patterns. Air temperatures have also warmed over the past century, increasing the ferocity of droughts and fires.

 

In New South Wales, the government has provided some local councils with estimates of an end-date to water supplies in the worst-case scenario which change along with likely demand and supply.

 

Dubbed "day zero" by locals, they are focussing some minds in a wealthy country where plentiful coal resources weigh against pressure for action on climate change.

 

"Day zero - it's a war-time phrase," sheep and cattle farmer Richard Daugherty told Reuters on his property, located near the small town of Uralla, 200 km (124 miles) inland from Australia's eastern coastline.

 

But links between climate change and extreme weather events have become a political football in Australia.

 

The conservative government has argued stronger environmental action would cripple its economy, pitting itself against its Pacific island neighbours which are particularly susceptible to warmer temperatures and rising seas.

 

It came under fire from British naturalist Sir David Attenborough for supporting new coal mines shortly after school children around the globe protested against government inaction on climate change and world leaders met in New York for a climate summit.

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not attend the climate summit. He told the UN General Assembly that critics overlooked Australia's work on curbing emissions and that the country would meet its Paris emissions reduction goals.

 

He has also pledged A$100 million ($68 million) in extra funding to support drought-striken farmers.

 

GREEN TO BROWN

 

Guyra, population 2,000, lies in a region known as New England, where European livestock stations were established almost 200 years ago on land resembling the colonial power's green countryside.

 

Together with the North-West region, it produced A$2.6 billion ($1.76 billion) in agricultural production in 2017-18, according to commodity forecaster ABARES.

 

Murray, who also oversees the bigger regional centre of Armidale, said he first realised the scale of the problem when he noticed entire hillsides of hardy eucalyptuses dying.

 

Some of the region's biggest towns, which include Dubbo, with 40,000 people, Armidale, 25,000, and Tamworth, 62,000, are forecast to run out of drinking water mid-to-late next year, according to the latest government projections.

 

"This is going to another level - it's almost unimaginable," Murray said.

 

Most councils, including Armidale and Dubbo, are trying to extend the deadline by drilling into the earth to tap underground reservoirs in the hope they can access water suitable for drinking.

 

Even Sydney's biggest dam, Warragamba, has dropped to 50%, after almost being at capacity less than three years ago.

 

The central bank has warned the drought is weighing on Australia's economic growth. The value of farm production is forecast to decline by 5% to A$59 billion (£32.48 billion) in 2019–20, according to ABARES.

 

There is already a steep daily cost to farmers, towns and governments that are paying to truck-in water that usually drops freely from the sky.

 

Farmers in the Armidale area told Reuters they were now paying well in excess of A$250 ($169) to bring in 10,000 litres of drinking-quality water, which is almost double the cost of pre-drought prices.

 

Australia's east coast is forecast to continue sweltering for at least three more months, the country's weather bureau said.

 

Locals are making do. Joe George, 57, used to wash his fleet of nine school buses once a week, but now collects whatever rain falls onto his depot's rusty roof for a monthly wash to meet his contractual obligation to provide clean vehicles.

 

"Worst drought I've ever seen," he said at the bus depot in Guyra. "We had a bad one in the early 80s but even that was nothing like this."

 

($1 = 1.4793 Australian dollars)

 

(Reporting by Jonathan Barrett in Guyra; additional reporting by Hans Lee in Sydney; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-28

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[thaibeachlovers]

If the Australian government thinks it is worth saving those towns they can build desalination plants and pipe the water to the towns. Riyadh in Saudi has water piped in so it's possible.

Australia has plenty of coal to run the desalination plants.

[car720]

What Australia needs more than anything is a government that is not made up of self serving aholes.  Things never change though so don't hold your breath.

[bristolboy]

21 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If the Australian government thinks it is worth saving those towns they can build desalination plants and pipe the water to the towns. Riyadh in Saudi has water piped in so it's possible.

Australia has plenty of coal to run the desalination plants.

It also has plenty of sunshine. A solar power plant would be much much cheaper. But I guess if you suffer from fossilized thinking, then your go-to would be fossil fuels.

[steven100]

The Murray darling river system is a prime example of how Australia just delays the inevitable through impact assessment studies, environmental studies, cost analysis, budget restraints, construction estimates and so on.

Most dams in rural NSW are at least down to 40% capacity if not more. 

Australia has a real BIG problem on it's hands with water management. 

But sadly, as usual they'll do nothing but talk. 

[DoctorG]

I love a sunburnt country,
  A land of sweeping plains,
  Of ragged mountain ranges,
  Of drought and flooding rains,
  I love her far horizons,
  I love her jewel sea,
  Her beauty and her terror -
  The wide brown land for me.

 

Dorathea MacKeller

[thaibeachlovers]

11 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

It also has plenty of sunshine. A solar power plant would be much much cheaper. But I guess if you suffer from fossilized thinking, then your go-to would be fossil fuels.

5555555555555555555555555555

Saudi has loads of sunshine too, but guess how they power their desalination plants. Hint, it's not solar.

[Andrew65]

6 minutes ago, steven100 said:

The Murray darling river system is a prime example of how Australia just delays the inevitable through impact assessment studies, environmental studies, cost analysis, budget restraints, construction estimates and so on.

Most dams in rural NSW are at least down to 40% capacity if not more. 

Australia has a real BIG problem on it's hands with water management. 

But sadly, as usual they'll do nothing but talk. 

The Economist wrote an article about the Murray Darling area years ago, apparently growing cotton is quite big there, uses tons of water.

 

I worked in Oz many years ago, all over. Many parts of QLD & NT were marginal at best for cattle, lots of dead ones lying around in semi-desert/scrub areas. Then again, as it says in this article, parts of southern QLD reminded me of England, green rolling hills.

 

Someone mentions using solar power to run desalination plants. Apparently they use massive amounts of energy, not sure if solar would be feasible?

[worgeordie]

Water, in the future is going to be the new Oil,

with countries fighting over it,we can live without

oil, but not water,it's a necessity for life.

regards worgeordie

[VincentRJ]

Australia is well known as a country of droughts and floods. The previous major drought is known as the 'millennium' drought, which began around the year 2000, or a bit before, and lasted until 2010-11.

 

Climate change alarmists at the time were claiming that this long period of reduced rainfall would become the norm, due to anthropogenic emissions of CO2 causing droughts to become worse. However, the amount of rainfall that ended the drought in 2010-11 was so massive it caused extensive flood damage in all the usual places that have experienced regular flooding every few decades since the country was first colonized.

 

The sad thing is, we don't seem to learn from history. During any period of drought we should be preparing for the next flood event by building more flood-mitigation dams, reshaping the landscape to prevent 'flash flooding', and doing whatever else is required to prevent damage to property, infrastructure and lives when the next inevitable change in rainfall occurs.

 

Greta Thunberg, please note. ????

[steven100]

AUSTRALIA MUST LOOK INTO AND START PIPING WATER ACROSS RURAL NSW.

The Great Artesian Basin is Australia's largest groundwater system. Comprising around 20% of Australia's total landmass, the Basin covers most of Queensland, the north western parts of New South Wales, part of the Northern Territory and about half of South Australia.

THE Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative (GABSI) is hailed by many as the most beneficial project ever provided to Australian agriculture. 
Since its inception 20 years ago, the upgrading of more than 750 free-flowing bores and the installing of almost 32,000km of pipe drains has resulted in massive annual water savings of 250 gigalitres for one of the world’s largest underground freshwater resources. 

Before the capping and piping of the bores, up to 95% of Great Artesian Basin (GAB) water was being wasted through evaporation and seepage in free-flowing drains – which has been a problem ever since commercial exploitation of the Basin’s water and pressure resources began in 1878.

In NSW the initiative, implemented in this state as the Cap and Pipe the Bores Program, has overseen the capping of 398 free-flowing bores, with more than 10,000km of bore drains removed and 18,000km of pipe installed. That adds up to a saving of 78,500 megalitres of water every year and about 4.2 million hectares of farms supplied with permanent, efficient and strategically-located watering points.

The program has been blessed with many glowing names, but the title of unsung drought hero is the most apt for Ranald Warby, who farms at Mungindi on the NSW/Queensland border. Ranald and wife Noela produce wool, lamb and dryland grains on their 4,000-hectare property Barrakee, which is now entirely dependent on piped groundwater after two years of drought.

“If governments are serious about drought-proofing Australia, finishing the cap and piping scheme would be a wonderful start.”
Sustaining The Great Artesian Basin a must for farmers
Others agree that there is more to do to sustain this precious resource and realise the full drought-proofing and environmental benefits of a closed system. 

“There are still 530 bores to be controlled across the three Basin states, with 229 of them in NSW,” says Juanita Hamparsum, chair of the Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee, which provides advice from community organisations and other agencies to the government on effective Basin management. 

She says a Basin-wide coordinated approach to bore rehabilitation was proposed as part of the Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan 2000, and resulted in the development of GABSI. The initiative was delivered in partnership by the Australian, NSW, Queensland, South Australian and Northern Territory governments, as well as Basin landholders, to provide almost $300million in funding to upgrade bore drains.  

[bristolboy]

37 minutes ago, steven100 said:

The Murray darling river system is a prime example of how Australia just delays the inevitable through impact assessment studies, environmental studies, cost analysis, budget restraints, construction estimates and so on.

Most dams in rural NSW are at least down to 40% capacity if not more. 

Australia has a real BIG problem on it's hands with water management. 

But sadly, as usual they'll do nothing but talk. 

Actually, it seems that the big problem, on top of the drought, is taking way too much water for irrigation. Or, at least, not returning enough.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/why-is-the-murray-darling-basin-so-important-and-how-did-we-end-up-at-this-point

[fruitman]

45 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

5555555555555555555555555555

Saudi has loads of sunshine too, but guess how they power their desalination plants. Hint, it's not solar.

Saudi doesn't pretend to be green environment freaks like australia does.

 

Last flight i sit in the plane next to an aussie who flew to Europe to join an environmental happening of vegans...when i asked him if flying to the other side of the world was also bad for the environment he only could smile...

[Kiwiken]

1 hour ago, bristolboy said:

It also has plenty of sunshine. A solar power plant would be much much cheaper. But I guess if you suffer from fossilized thinking, then your go-to would be fossil fuels.

Or they could buy fresh water off NZ if We don't give it away to Chinese Companies first

[Harveyg]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If the Australian government thinks it is worth saving those towns they can build desalination plants and pipe the water to the towns. Riyadh in Saudi has water piped in so it's possible.

Australia has plenty of coal to run the desalination plants.

This reminded me of the Thai solution to a cold room because of low temp air conditioning:  Just open the door!!   Sorry.  Couldnt resist.

[Ponlamai]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

5555555555555555555555555555

Saudi has loads of sunshine too, but guess how they power their desalination plants. Hint, it's not solar.

If you were stupid enough to use coal fired power plants to solve the water crises, you should realize that you need clean water to run the boilers in order to produce electricity!! So you'd be 'robbing Peter to pay Paul'. Engage your brain my friend.

[thaibeachlovers]

3 minutes ago, Ponlamai said:

If you were stupid enough to use coal fired power plants to solve the water crises, you should realize that you need clean water to run the boilers in order to produce electricity!! So you'd be 'robbing Peter to pay Paul'. Engage your brain my friend.

?????????????????????????????

They'd use desalinated water. You do realise the output exceeds the amount required to fill the boilers, don't you?

[thaibeachlovers]

31 minutes ago, Kiwiken said:

Or they could buy fresh water off NZ if We don't give it away to Chinese Companies first

Yes, they could fill tankers from then Manapouri outlet.

 

Anyway, what happened to the idea floated decades ago of towing icebergs from the Antarctic?

[Tongjaw]

The Australian government should look at the water management systems. Their desalination plants make around 100 million gallons a day. Their NEWwater system provides approx 30% of the countries water requirement. 

[steven100]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Anyway, what happened to the idea floated decades ago of towing icebergs from the Antarctic?

they melted on the way  

[steven100]

5 minutes ago, Tongjaw said:

The Australian government should look at the water management systems. Their desalination plants make around 100 million gallons a day. Their NEWwater system provides approx 30% of the countries water requirement. 

well they need to do something … and damn quick,  give it another 2-4 years of drought and it's all over red rover.

[Dustdevil]

Water as a commodity doesn't get any respect. Young man, invest in companies that process water.

[tifino]

31 minutes ago, Tongjaw said:

The Australian government should look at the water management systems. Their desalination plants make around 100 million gallons a day. Their NEWwater system provides approx 30% of the countries water requirement. 

they could! ... but in reality, only use but a miniscule fraction of the potential output.

For example, that Wonthaggi setup in Victoria... it almost needs a sitting in  Parliament for someone to actually get up off their butts, to tick the box;

to activate the plant, for some life or death one off request...

 

  The concept of piping water around the country, from well off area catchments, to the dry centre... has been mooted (and shelved) for decades.

 

and just think of the fringe benefits!!

if they were to use the desal, to convert nesar unlimitred quantities; they'd theoretically be drawing much motre than the equivaent of multitudes of Icebergs' from the ocean...

    waterlevels could be reversed, or at least match the 'rising' sealevels! 

Go maximum, and simply pump and dispense all the excess water piped... into the wide deserts, and create new farmable lands, everywhere!

Edited September 28, 2019 by tifino

[Dustdevil]

1 hour ago, fruitman said:

Saudi doesn't pretend to be green environment freaks like australia does.

 

Last flight i sit in the plane next to an aussie who flew to Europe to join an environmental happening of vegans...when i asked him if flying to the other side of the world was also bad for the environment he only could smile...

Should have taken a sailing ship like Greta Thunberg. If she had her way, all transport would be by bicycle or sailing vessel. Imagine the collapse of the world economy.

[Almer]

2 hours ago, steven100 said:

The Murray darling river system is a prime example of how Australia just delays the inevitable through impact assessment studies, environmental studies, cost analysis, budget restraints, construction estimates and so on.

Most dams in rural NSW are at least down to 40% capacity if not more. 

Australia has a real BIG problem on it's hands with water management. 

But sadly, as usual they'll do nothing but talk. 

My unqualified take on things are, any much needed long term projects are only given lip service by governments, a government with a 3 or 5 year term gets no points for long term only credit for short term fixes

[thaibeachlovers]

40 minutes ago, steven100 said:

they melted on the way  

No, some would melt, but enough survive to use. 

[steven100]

29 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

No, some would melt, but enough survive to use. 

UAE millionaire planning to drag an ICEBERG to the country announces he will carry out test run with smaller iceberg towed to South Africa or Australia later this year.

The UAE is at serious risk of droughts over the next 25 years due to its climate 

One iceberg could provide enough for one million people over five years

An eco-firm plans to tow them around 5,500 miles (8,800 km) to harvest water

 

+5

•  

Abdulla Alshehi plans to drag a chunk of Antarctic sea ice to either Cape Town or Perth later this year, in an $80million test-run for a much larger project

 

[ndreamer]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If the Australian government thinks it is worth saving those towns they can build desalination plants and pipe the water to the towns. Riyadh in Saudi has water piped in so it's possible.

Australia has plenty of coal to run the desalination plants.

We have one in sydney, that was not even running last time i checked.

to expansive to run apparently, i lived near these rural areas before coming to thailand. 

we had droughts for a long time, there was an area willowtree that completly ran out of water.

these areas use alot of water, farm land but get very little rain they have also seen there population explode due to mining  all around the area. 

[White Christmas13]

54 minutes ago, ndreamer said:

We have one in sydney, that was not even running last time i checked.

to expansive to run apparently, i lived near these rural areas before coming to thailand. 

we had droughts for a long time, there was an area willowtree that completly ran out of water.

these areas use alot of water, farm land but get very little rain they have also seen there population explode due to mining  all around the area. 

We have 2 in Perth and they working quiet well

[Soundspeed]

Cotton is very water intensive and has resulted in the degrading of the Murray Darling river system which is the 5th longest river system in the world. But believe it not not they are growing RICE in the area too!

These crops are totally unsuited to the conditions but once again big business has the govt by the short and curlies. While the govt is still in the pockets of the coal mining lobby they cannot acknowledge human caused climate change is real.

 

Melbourne has had a wind powered desalination plant in place since the last big drought. The state govt which installed it was roundly criticized at the time - where are the critics now? Sydney is either installing one or about to.

 

Industry and the population are going ahead with their own solar installations to the concern of the overcharging govt backed power companies. The people are voting with their feet and leaving the backward politicians behind. The govt was trying to force power generators to keep their worn out coal power stations running but many of the generating companies are switching to renewable because they can see what is happening.

No climate change isn't real its just a lot of increasing bad weather events.