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Sydney Harbour’s Water Concerns – Athol Whitten Sydney-siders would be wise to consider their water usage habits before the next onset of summer and the associated dry spell. Rivers are shrinking, dams are drying up and the rain doesn’t seem to be coming. Despite this, the famous city’s obsession with water wasting goes on. Recent research by the Water Association of Australia has forecast an extreme national shortfall in water supplies over the coming decade, with Sydney one of the worst affected cities. The study concluded that Sydney needs to cut its water consumption by half in order to prevent a dire shortage in 25 years time. Such an outcome will not be easy, given that it will rely heavily on the changing of people’s attitudes. Australians are not known for their water saving nous. Instead, they are prolific water users; the average usage is a staggering 350 litres per person per day, some 30 per cent higher than the average of OECD nations. The total water usage of the sunburnt country is an unimaginable 25,000 giga-litres (gL) per year. Whilst much of this usage can be attributed to the high demand of the agricultural, forestry and fishing industries, domestic household use stands at an unreasonably high level of 8 per cent. Somewhat surprisingly, 34 percent of domestic Australian water is used on gardens. This is due largely to an unhealthy obsession with pampered lawns, a paradoxical behaviour considering Australia’s status as one of the world’s driest nations. Ian Cohen, New South Wales Member of Parliament for the Greens, points out that consumers are a major part of the problem. “Sydney consumers should be more accountable for their own use and they’re not,” he said. Environmental reports show that water use per capita has continued to decline over the past decade thanks to increased water pricing, consumer education and the use of water saving appliances. Despite this, population growth and an associated higher demand for water is placing continued strain on precious recources. Sydney presents as a classic example of a city on a path to self-destruction. As the population grows, demand for water increases and so too does the stress placed on the cities water reserves. Of particular concern to the community is the health of Sydney’s surrounding water catchments and river systems. Almost a third of Sydney’s water is drawn from a single source, the Shoalhaven River, and urban campaigners are raising fears about permanent damage to the river’s ecology. “The piping of water from the Shoalhaven is itself causing damage,” said Mr Cohen. “There is concern that the taking of water from near the bottom of the river, is resulting in the loss of vital nutrients”. Since 2003, the Sydney Catchment Authority has been transferring water from the Shoalhaven for Sydney’s use. Currently, around 400 megalitres are piped from the Shoalhaven to the Warragamba Dam every day. This amount has done little to suppress the decline of the catchments however, with levels in the Warragamba dropping to 38 per cent over last summer. There is no doubt of the importance of public education regarding environmental issues, but efforts to raise public awareness of the problem can be hindered by political tactics. Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr, has been critical of the Water Associations report, suggesting that the research fails to consider the governments current and planned actions. Others fear that comments like these can be damaging to the cause. “The government is not acting in an ecologically responsible manner,” said Mr Cohen. The Green MP believes the government should be doing more to encourage responsible domestic consumption. “There needs to better financial incentive for the conservation of water, perhaps a sliding scale of payment, whereby heavy users pay more for their consumption rate,’ he said. As possible solutions to the Sydney crisis are put forward, the costs and benefits of each need to be carefully considered. Ideas for a desalination program for example, have become unfavourable due to concerns over the high production of green-house gasses associated with the treatment of sea-water. Green groups are promoting other, more eco-friendly solutions, such as the recycling of effluent. One Sydney consortium is bidding for the rights to harvest effluent and treat it for re-use in industry and agriculture. This in turn would leave more of the freshwater supplies available for drinking, and lessen the overall burden on the system. On March 22 this year, the United Nations launched a decade of action to tackle the world’s fresh water problems. World Water Day 2005 (22 March) is guided by the new water decade's theme "Water for Life" and is the starting day for the new International Decade on Water 2005 - 2015. UN Water is responsible for organizing the annual United Nations Water Day (http://www.worldwaterday.org/) and choosing each year's theme. In many parts of the world, a total lack of clean drinking water is a reality. Nations such as Australia and New Zealand, with comparatively abundant supplies, need to take responsible action towards sustainable water use. The important message stemming from debate of this issue is that a brighter future is indeed possible. With the help of an ecological responsible government, improved industry practices and an enthusiastic community, favourable outcomes for Sydney, and indeed the nation, are achievable. |