SCARCE WATER

I READ with interest “Day Zero crisis looms” in the Rural Weekly of July 19.

We live in a country that at best, at least some area in some state/territory is declared drought stricken at any one time. Presently, the severity of drought in Queensland and New South Wales, according to the article, in some areas, is unprecedented since recording began.

In my experience of past, as a country, we do not recognise/acknowledge the value of water. Drive through the Lockyer Valley/coastal NSW and you will see overhead irrigators. Travel through Emerald/ Roma, central and northern NSW and you observe flood irrigation.

Water is not an infinite commodity. As an aside, neither is coal, or gas. They are tangible assets.

In comparison to many countries, we have an immense amount of water available to us, both in storage and underground. We are just not using it wisely.

I note a recent application to TRC, as reported in past issues of The

Chronicle, for a medicinal marijuana establishment to be placed in the Wagner’s facility at Wellcamp and the questions raised by councillors and planning developers. The standout question was water supply. My view (and I have no personal interest in the project) is this company in conjunction with the developer will build the most up-to-date sophisticated water retention facilities ever seen in Toowoomba. We then, as a nation, should learn from the resulting processes. That is, drip irrigation, recycling and covered growing areas for crops where practical.

A previous water recycling project by the TRC was rejected by the people. My view is it failed because of the way it was to be implemented, not for the idea. There will be a generational gap before TRC can attempt to sell this again, such is the ill feeling that still remains from that debate. This does not mean other councils cannot try to introduce such a scheme.

The nation needs to build more dams for its growing population, so that when it does rain, water is retained. Arguments keep arising when a new dam is proposed that wildlife species become threatened. Is it not true that without water, as being experienced now, that same wildlife is threatened in a more severe way? Further, don’t our dams provide sustenance for thousands of other species?

Some have argued that there is nowhere to put more dams. I would encourage those people to visit cotton growing areas where dams are built and retain water in otherwise arid areas. One storm can fill these dams with an abundant amount of water for irrigation purposes. Further, why not build several dams rather than one big one? In times of flood, pump water into them as irrigators do with theirs, if they do not fill themselves.

This brings me back to the article I initially referred to.

To help ensure the towns mentioned do not encounter the situation they are currently in again, governments and councils need to learn from private enterprises on how to truly retain water for irrigation purposes and human consumption.

Yes, there is an initial cost. The alternative, as depicted by this article, seems to be far more expensive than can be imagined not only in water supply but damage to infrastructure such as roads when fully loaded B doubles traverse what has not been originally designed for them.

It will rain again, it will flood again. Will we learn from performance? Time will tell.

KAI DAHL, Toowoomba