| Only 7 days water supply |
|
By far the most destructive emergency water strategy the Premier, Mr Iemma, has authorised is the extraction of 45 billion litres of water over 3 years from the Kangaloon Aquifer in the Southern Highlands.
Government plans
to extract 45 billion litres over 3 years from the
Kangaloon Aquifer, which is 15 billion litres in the first 12 months. Sydneyuses around 1.5 billion litres a day. Of the 15 billion litres about 5
billionwill be lost through evaporation and Sydney's
leaky, decrepit water delivery
network. So this leaves a paltry 10 billion litres for the urban
population’ which will last Sydney just
7 days. The desperation behind Iemma's decision to flout State and Federal water agreements (see Fact Sheets: "The Government's water policy") to provide Sydney with less than 10 days supply of water from the Southern Highlands speaks volumes - it clearly demonstrates the Government’s panic about having the misinformation it is peddling about its water policy exposed by inquisitive journalists. No Magic Pudding. . . . Scientists are saying the sudden 'discovery' of aquifers by politicians is a political stunt to overcome a short term political crisis. Professor Peter Cullen of the Wentworth Group, & head of the National
Water Commission, has stated quite clearly that in response to growing signs
that once reliable underground aquifers are shrinking, the sinking of new bores
should be banned under a new national groundwater strategy. He went on to
say that: "For too long we've had this view in Australia that we have these vast
underground seas; it's like there's a big magic pudding there.
Unfortunately there's not." |
