The south Australian Government has spent $14 million on 30 gigalitres (231.000.000.000 l.) from shared resources in New South Wales and Victoria to help secure Adelaide’s critical human needs from July: is this where we all are going to!?! Clear water is becoming the new oil!!! How long before there is a worldwar over water?

didgeridoo

“….Public fountains are dry in Barcelona, Spain, a city so parched there’s a €9,000 ($13,000) fine if you’re caught watering your flowers. A tanker ship docked there this month carrying 5 million gallons of precious fresh water – and officials are scrambling to line up more such shipments to slake public thirst….read more ”

Adelaide’s 15-day heatwave was A ONCE IN 3,000 YEAR OCCURRENCE, an atmospheric scientist says. “The odds are about the same as tossing 12 coins and getting all heads or all tails.” “This heat wave is close to being off the scale.” Nuriootpa, in the Barossa Valley, recorded 13 days over 35 degrees – a ONE IN 1,000 YEAR EVENT, while Loxton in the state’s Riverland had 15 days over 35 degrees which was a ONE IN 200 YEAR EVENT. Adelaide’s 15-day heatwave surpassed the previous capital city heatwave record of Perth, which experienced 10 days over 35 degrees in February 1988. The all-time national heatwave record was set in Marble Bar in northern Western Australia, which had 160 consecutive days at or above 37.8 degrees celsius (or 100 degrees fahrenheit) in the summer of 1923-24.

The record-breaking heatwave across south-eastern Australia is predicted to ease today, but farmers are already counting the cost in the millions of dollars. Temperatures in Adelaide hit 40.5 degrees yesterday, the 15th straight day they have soared above 35 degrees. The heat has had a devastating effect on South Australia’s farming sector and raised serious doubts about the sustainability of irrigation in the lower Murray River. Apple and pear growers have suffered severe damage from heat and wind. “Most crops, like soft vegetables, can tolerate three or four days of extreme temperatures, but that’s about the limit.” The situation is at its most severe in the final reaches of the Murray River, including Lake Alexandrina, where water levels are so low even farmers with irrigation rights are finding their pumps left high and dry. Wine grape yields have fallen by half or more in just a week. Melbourne has a chance to break the 68-year-old record for its hottest March. The city is averaging 30.7 degrees for the month, and the record is 28.9 degrees. “It’s a tough record to break, and the fact that we’re in a position to possibly break it is an indication of an exceptional month.”

“…The basic story: 97% of the world’s water is salty. Human use of the remaining 3% has boomed, the result of industrialization and the need to produce more food to feed a growing, wealthier population…. read more..”

“…that leaves dozens of bloodied protesters with broken limbs…

A film clip from the latest offering from Hollywood? Unfortunately not. It’s a description of a real-life event in Cochabamba, Bolivia’s third largest city, where a subsidiary of Bechtel, the US engineering giant, took over the municipal water utility and increased bills to a level that the poorest could not afford…. read more ”

“…Ironically, our untrammeled use of oil fuels the crisis in water. Burning of fossil fuels has led to global warming, the melting of glaciers and ice caps, and the early snowmelts that will cause flooding in areas that can hardly bear another burden. And it may also cause the climate to fluctuate in a way that brings too much rain in some places and too little in others… read more ”

“…First people cut trees for shelter and fuel, until rains swept away the soil instead of seeping into shallow aquifers, and the springs dried up. At least as long ago as the Bronze Age, farmers began mankind’s obsession with diverting water for crops to feed the growing population. Meanwhile, the moist, cool climate which encouraged the first settlement was naturally becoming drier and hotter… read more”

“…In the United States, water demand has tripled in the past 30 years, while the population has grown just 50%. Globally, water consumption is doubling every 20 years, more than twice population growth...read more”

“…’Whisky is for drinking, water is for fighting over,” Mark Twain once said. At the start of the 21st century, his gloomy view on the water side of the equation has been getting endorsements from an impressive – if unlikely – cast of characters…read more”

“…‘If there is a political will for peace, water will not be a hindrance. If you want reasons to fight, water will give you ample opportunities… read more”

click

“…”It’s a sign that our critical human needs are not assured if the Government’s suddenly having to run out into the market place to buy it (water),” he said….”

“….SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Australia’s driest state has been forced to purchase water for the first time to ensure adequate supplies in the midst of a drought, a government official said Friday….”

…”So we’ve made a decision to go into the market and purchase water on the temporary market.”…