Yet the municipal supply to Brisbane remains at less than 40% of capacity. It seems as though we've had a fair amount of rain since we've been here; the problem is, just because rain is falling on the city doesn't mean it's falling on the catchments that drain to the city's three reservoirs. This creates a paradox of lushness out the window (after all, Brisbane is a very green city, with plenty of parks and lots of large trees) coupled with a region-wide drought advisory. Given that we're coming to the end of the wet season, the first true one in several years according to the locals, the water situation is bound to get worse over the coming months.
So with this information in hand, you would think the Australians would have a long history of astute water conservation. After all, one of the many enduring images of Australia is the continental map, showing the thin band of green along the coast where the people live, and the parched, brown interior, the dreaded outback where snakes and lizards scratch out a living and humans dare to venture. So shouldn't Aussies have been conscious of their precarious hold on this modern, wealthy society and the resources that support it? The answer would surprise you.
As recently as a few years ago, the average Australian consumed over 300 litres of water per day in the household. Those figures put it on par with Canada, the US and Japan as the world's biggest water pigs. The latter three countries have no excuse for their consumption either, although with the exception of the American southwest, water is relatively abundant in their part of the world. I was as guilty as anyone when we lived in Fredericton, where water seems limitless. I did very little to conserve, and I’m not sure I needed to do so. But moving here, I was absolutely paranoid about wasting too much water.
Since the onset of this most recent drought and the awareness that water is a finite resource for the growing population, Australian residents have come to their senses and dramatically reduced their consumption. Recent figures here in southeast Queensland have the average at about 130 litres per person per day, an impressive cutback. This has been in response to the city's public awareness campaign called Target 140. City personnel monitor consumption and if you are using far more than the average they will come and tell you to reduce it (perhaps crack a few knuckles as well). I’ve seen the “Water Patrol” wagon around town a few times, but it hasn’t come knocking on our door yet. While this campaign clearly is working, no doubt aided by the occasional “water rage” incident where vigilante justice can make people paranoid about publicly consuming water, it may not be enough to avoid the problem in the future given the region’s growing population and the possibility of global climate change which figures to hit Australia hard (Check out Jared Diamond’s book collapse for a chapter on that exact issue). One of the problems, as I see it, is that water rates here are comparable to those in Canada, in other words, they make up a very small fraction of the household budget. This means there is little financial incentive to conserve. While I would never advocate privatizing the water system, it might help things if local governments hit us in the pocketbook a little harder. Why do you think Europeans use so much less gasoline compared to North Americans? Answer: it costs $2 a liter in Europe! Maybe water supply and demand will eventually kick in here when the reservoirs drop below 10%, but by then it could be too late and our high quality of life may begin to be affected.
For now, Laura and I will continue to try and be good water stewards. 140 liters per day is more than enough to keep you clean and happy. Just ask my parents who rely on a rainwater tank in Bermuda and have to buy water when it runs out during dry spells. Who knows, maybe we’ll be singing a different tune when the new addition to our house arrives in September and there are vomit-covered clothes to wash. It should be fun!
Before I forget, here are your monthly Aussie quirks:
Canada/Australia
discount/concession
snack/tucker
cookies/bikkies
fisherman/fisho
rear-end/clacker
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