S.A - The Driest State
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There's little doubt that the most precious resource we have on the 'Blue Planet' is water. In the grip of a one in
onethousand year drought, Australian's are finally received a long overdue wakeup call. The message was that if you
want to live in the driest, populated continent on this planet don't ever take for granted that you will always have
an abundance of water. For many, the Murray has always been the countries lifeline and nowhere is that more apparent
than in South Australia.
For decades, the driest state, in the driest continent on earth, has used the Murray as an unregulated, cheap source of
water for irrigation, industrial and drinking purposes, unchecked. All that has now changed. Being at the bottom of the
water 'feeding chain' and relient on the once mighty Murray, has suddenly become a hot potato. It seems everyone has an
opinion or a demand when it comes to water. That became apparent when the South Australian government introduced water
restrictions. They seemed simple. Not too hard to follow. Well, you'd think so. Designed to give all a fair
go, it was hoped that with good management SA we would survive another hot summer, until hopefully, rain would come. Rather
than embrace restrictions and do their bit, many snubbed their noses at the new water use laws. The government was forced
to increase the restrictions. When the rain did come it was decided to keep the restrictions in place. The idea was good.
It meant that rain would soak into the dry, parched earth and thereby produce run-off into reservoirs in the Adelaide
Hills. It worked. Reservoirs started to fill. But just when all looked good, the rain stopped. More restrictions would
come into place. The population revolted. The once popular Premiere and his government were targeted by irrigators, the
garden industry and home gardeners. They all demanded water. After months of hearing there wasn't enough water to ease
restrictions, the government did a monumental backflip. Suddenly there was enough water. No longer would elderly pensioners
(with water guzzling gardens) have to lug buckets around their front and back yards (to feed their water guzzling plants).
Now they along with everyone else could, once a week, in a three hour period, use drippers or water with a hand-held,
trigger operated garden hose. Irrigators would receive a three percent increase in their much needed allowance. Most would
agree that the SA goverment has handled the water crisis poorly. It seems that it's more important to be popular than to
face up to the fact that everyone has to appreciate and have a greater respect for water. Here in SA that lesson it seems
is falling on deaf ears.
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Front Cover............
Looking south across the River Torrens, Elder Park and the Adelaide skyline.
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Editor Richard Surfield
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