Australia's Cities Facing Serious Water Crisis - BBC

[hatrack]

"There is a warning that some of Australia's major cities could run out of drinking water. Much of this arid continent is in the grip of one of the driest periods in living memory.

"We're in a sustained drought now and if that goes on for another year, we're going to have real problems," Professor Peter Cullen, leader of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "Some of our major (cities) are really in a race at the moment to see who's going to run out of water first."

A big worry is that in such a parched country, water supplies in many Australian cities cannot cope with rapid population growth. Levels at the Warragamba dam that provides 80% of Sydney's water have reached record lows. Recent heavy rain has helped, but the biggest and probably the most thirsty city in Australia needs a steady drenching of 40mm of rain to fall in the catchment areas every day for a week before dams return to "comfortable" levels.

EDIT

The recycling of water, desalinisation plants and the harnessing of storm water - which often, and rather frustratingly for many Australians, simply flows into the sea - are options. Blair Nancarrow, who is based in Western Australia, has said cities like Perth must get used to living with less rain. "There was a dramatic drop here in the mid 1970s and again in the mid-90s. It looks like this will now be the norm," she predicted."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3992231.stm