This letter to the editor was in our newspaper, The Advertiser, last Thursday
I've mentioned similar ideas before and now it seems others are getting on the bandwagon. I'll copy it here exactly and hope the author doesn't mind.
"Dam good idea
Australia is the world's driest inhabited continent, heavily affected by droughts and increased costs for producing crops and livestock.
But the Ord River irrigation project and Lake Argyle Dam in WA was a big success. In July 1963, Sir Robert Menzies officially opened this project and said "This is the most exciting place in Australia."
By 1966, 31 farms were irrigated from the Kununurra dam. Lake Argyle Dam is now one of the world's largest man-made water bodies.
The dam has a volume capacity equivalent to filling more than 11 Sydney Harbours.
During the wet season, gates open to allow flood waters to pass through while limiting flooding of agricultural land. During the dry season, gates close to allow for water storage and diversion.
These projects also have generated further economic benefits including commissioning of the Argyle Diamond Mine, Ord Hydro electric power station, increased tourism and fishing supply coupled with higher employment.
Are there similar opportunities to reduce the severity of droughts in Australia?
Garry Baldock, Semaphore South."
Here's my question: Well, are there similar opportunities? Has any government looked into this? Why not? this is the sort of thing that could save our country. Building such dams etc would create jobs for many people for a start, that would reduce the unemployment rate at least. Yes, it's expensive, more so than in the 60s, but start now before we get into the 2020s or 2030s.
And another letter to the editor:
"Weather Wonders
I've worked out how to control the weather.
If I want it to be cold, I stock up on salad vegetables and for warm weather I put the fleecy sheets back on the bed.
Oh, and for rain, wash the car. Guaranteed to work!"
Heather Lauterbach, Victor Harbor"
Me: I'm not sure anymore about washing the car, but I have noticed the weather turning cold and rainy every time I buy salad ingredients!
"Dam good idea
Australia is the world's driest inhabited continent, heavily affected by droughts and increased costs for producing crops and livestock.
But the Ord River irrigation project and Lake Argyle Dam in WA was a big success. In July 1963, Sir Robert Menzies officially opened this project and said "This is the most exciting place in Australia."
By 1966, 31 farms were irrigated from the Kununurra dam. Lake Argyle Dam is now one of the world's largest man-made water bodies.
The dam has a volume capacity equivalent to filling more than 11 Sydney Harbours.
During the wet season, gates open to allow flood waters to pass through while limiting flooding of agricultural land. During the dry season, gates close to allow for water storage and diversion.
These projects also have generated further economic benefits including commissioning of the Argyle Diamond Mine, Ord Hydro electric power station, increased tourism and fishing supply coupled with higher employment.
Are there similar opportunities to reduce the severity of droughts in Australia?
Garry Baldock, Semaphore South."
Here's my question: Well, are there similar opportunities? Has any government looked into this? Why not? this is the sort of thing that could save our country. Building such dams etc would create jobs for many people for a start, that would reduce the unemployment rate at least. Yes, it's expensive, more so than in the 60s, but start now before we get into the 2020s or 2030s.
And another letter to the editor:
"Weather Wonders
I've worked out how to control the weather.
If I want it to be cold, I stock up on salad vegetables and for warm weather I put the fleecy sheets back on the bed.
Oh, and for rain, wash the car. Guaranteed to work!"
Heather Lauterbach, Victor Harbor"
Me: I'm not sure anymore about washing the car, but I have noticed the weather turning cold and rainy every time I buy salad ingredients!
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Planning to golf on a given day brings rain for me.
ReplyDeletejoeh; that's lucky if rain is what you want.
DeleteYes indeed...if we want rain we wash the car or the windows. Works every time.
ReplyDeleteonly slightly confused; so nice to see you here. I never found car washing enough to make it rain and now of course I don't have a car.
DeleteEvery time I want to go to "my" beach the wind picks up and I know it would carry my wee picnic and knitting away with it. :(
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
WWW; try going to the beach without your knitting :)
DeleteI really, really wish that our Federal Government would do more to drought proof the nation. Yes, it would be expensive, but the results would justify that. Sadly, I think a budget surplus is more important, so they continue to say it is a state responsibility.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child; I agree, the results would justify the expense and the time needed and just think of the job opportunities! But they'd rather have the pay rises, the big houses and overseas trips.
DeleteSince that dam was so successful, I am surprised there are not more. Keep hounding your govt. Maybe if they realize the people's vote is hinging on them, they might cough up the big bucks.
ReplyDeleteI can make the weather turn cold when I put away my winter coats in the spring.
Arkansas Patti; I'm surprised too, that after the first dams were built and successful, that someone way back then DIDN'T say, "right, now let's build another one and another." I really have no idea how to hound the government, I'm not eloquent enough to be writing letters etc, all I can repeat is the same old words. I can make the temperatures drop by taking the extra doonas off the bed.
DeleteI remembered something about the Ord River Irrigation Scheme being a failure and sure enough, after checking it has been. $1.45 billion spent for a return of 17 cents per dollar spent, with only 250 jobs supported. Raising water salinity and rising ground water tables are of concern, along with other ecological problems.
ReplyDeleteAndrew; I did not know about the failure, I'm useless at research, not even knowing where to begin looking. But I still think dams etc are feasible in high flood areas, like Qld's annual flooding. Capture that water, filter it and pipe it around the country. There must be other flood areas that could be tapped into as well.
DeleteMy hope is that if this is what's best for your country, that you are able to get your government to do it.
ReplyDeletemessymimi; what's good for the country is what the government ignores the most. Quick cash for them by selling of our assets and bandaid fixes for anything broken are the choices these days.
DeleteI know of at least one government not concerned with the well being of its country. How to reverse the problem is the problem.
ReplyDeleteJoanne; that's exactly right.
DeleteCalifornia is no different when it comes to water. We had 3-6 years drought, and then last year we had massive rain. I know it was caught in reservoirs, but is there enough for a large state.
ReplyDeleteSusan Kane; at least you had the reservoirs, that's one step ahead of us.
DeleteMore dams and less procrastinating and arguing between politicians is long overdue!
ReplyDeleteWe live in a country notorious for its droughts and flooding rains' it has always been that way, and will always be that way. Humans never learn...they are always too busy bickering between each other...trying to outdo each other in the subject of "of who is right"!!
My landlord is the greatest waster of water I've ever met...and it really, really angers me!!
Lee; I know a few water wasters too, they rinse all their dishes as clean as if washed, then they wash them, then they rinse again to remove suds. Some of them have a double sink and the rinsing tap is running the whole time in one sink while they are washing dishes in the other sink. I'll probably get angry about the lack of dams and pipelines for years and years, it takes "them" so long to come around to a good idea and then they spend forever discussing it and forming committees to research and oversee, then of course the whole thing might come to a screaming halt when the cheapest contractor found does a shoddy job....
DeleteToo few people in high positions are able to think outside the box for solutions to big problems. We desperately need innovative thinkers around the world.
ReplyDelete