So hard to get wet

Water.
Reduced rainfall. Drought.
Some rain. Harsher drought.
Some more rain. Even worse drought than last time.
No rain. A drought so bad that people start thinking about the previous droughts and start thinking how good it was back then. Still no rain.

That was a very quick time line of Australia's water history and in case you didn't notice the trend it is getting dryer on this massive island. The surprising thing about the above sequence is that when the average person looks at it they can see the trend, yet when a politician looks at it they see something completely different.

Water is fast becoming the worlds most valuable resource yet the powers that be seem to think it is something that we can do without. With Australia being the driest island on the planet, something that we have always been, and global warming around the corner its amazing that i still do not see any plans to resolve the current water problems.

While i have heard about desalinization plants and pumping water from x to y all these things are ultimately stupid ideas. They will solve the supply of water to areas temporarily but the costs of the water that they deliver is far too high, ignoring the fact that it does not actually address the problem of our limited supply.

The logical solution is recycling of water but there is a certain stigma of drinking urine and feces. This was recently portrayed in Queensland with Toowoomba council giving the public the deciding vote on the town switching to recycled water - a resounding negative. But is it any wonder? While it is a scientific fact that recycled water is of a higher standard than our drinking water, but place a nice big "bondi cigar" on the table and ask someone if they want to drink that. Science, as with the precious water, guts flushed down the u bend. While i can appreciate the apprehension of people drinking recycled water there is no reason why that same water can not be used for industry, gardening or even the toilet water itself.

Or perhaps i am missing the obvious - if we ignore the problem long enough the country areas will collapse, forcing rural people into larger towns, reducing the need for servicing the outback. With no need for rural service Telstra's costs will be slashed and finally investors will be interested in T3.

TimeWastin:
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