Water schemes barely move at snail’s pace

WHEN John Howard was prime minister he said the government must develop North Australia so it could feed the hordes in Asia who are getting a taste of our diet.

His plan was to send the CSIRO to the North to locate suitable dam sites on the rivers that flow into the Gulf and also the Burdekin basin.

Well some 10 years on, what has the government achieved since that North Queenslanders are aware of?

An approval of the project to proceed with a loan value of $ 5 billion; they set up an office in Cairns and appointed a manager there, although we never hear what is happening.

I understand they have received many projects but to date I am unaware of any being approved to start.

We eventually had a Central Queensland senator approved to move the program along.

Unfortunately he was caught up in the ruckus within the Parliament on dual citizenship.

Some Gulf farmers have cleared land and installed offstream dams in order to catch floodwaters.

The Hell’s Gate dam on the Burdekin is still under investigation to supply water for farming in the Charters Towers area as well as water supply by gravitation with a power station at the foot of Hervey Range and water for the ever increasing development of Townsville and to the west.

I have been advised there are 30 potential dam sites on the Burdekin and Haughton Rivers and their major tributaries. This would all become essential in future drought years.

Yet we have people who wrongly oppose dams. So they accept living in houses and travelling by cars and planes … but deny the other necessities such as energy and water.

Also how much slower can the politicians and staff go before we see something?

Just as well they are paid by the taxpayer. GARTH HARRIGAN,

Aitkenvale.