Australia urges people to save water

Gone are the subtropical rains in Queensland, Australia. The drought has been going on since 2002. It has rained even less this year in Brisbane. By August the rainfall was only 290 mm whereas last year the amount was 430 mm during the same period. The lack of rain has led to even tougher restrictions on water usage: watering gardens is only allowed once a week for a certain time period after dark, washing cars is only permitted in a car wash, the recommended maximum shower length is four minutes. (1, 2)

During the last five years average water consumption has gone down from 280 litres to 140 litres a day per inhabitant. The Ledger family is doing even better, their daily usage is only 70 litres per person. “Our two small children take baths together, my husband and I shower for two or three minutes. When we brush our teeth we don’t leave the tap running, we do our dishes in very little water and we wait for the washing machine to fill up completely before putting it on. We can’t afford to waste water any more. We can’t just rely on the government, it’s up to us all to start saving water. It’s hard at first but you get used to it with time” says Mrs Ledger. (3–5)

One solution to the water shortage is the new desalination plant that produces drinking water from seawater. Still, building more plants is not the answer because the desalination process is expensive and consumes a large amount of energy. Because of the drought the hydro power plants are producing less energy than before. “We have a major problem on our hands. We are doing research into alternative sources of energy such as wind power and solar power”, says Peter Badger from the state council. “We need to find new solutions because the population of Brisbane is growing weekly by 1,500 inhabitants. As a result, the need for drinking water is increasing rapidly even if people have cut down on their water consumption. This year we will start adding up to 20 percent of cleaned sewage water into the drinking water. I know the idea of drinking something that came from the toilet is disgusting to many but we have no choice. We don’t want the situation to get worse.” (6–9)

The Government’s opinion is that there is not enough research to prove the connection between the drought and global warming. Australia is the largest coal producer in the world and doesn’t want to limit the use of fossil fuels that cause greenhouse gases. (10, 11)

1. Kuinka kauan kuivuus on jatkunut Brisbanessa ja mistä se johtuu?

2. Millaisia rajoituksia on asetettu veden käytölle? (Mainitse kaksi asiaa.)

3. Kuinka paljon keskivertoasukas käyttää vettä päivässä?

4. Mainitse kolme tapaa, joilla Ledgerin perhe säästää vettä.

5. Mitä mieltä rouva Ledger on veden säästämisestä?

6. Miksi suolanpoistolaitosten rakentaminen ei ole ratkaisu ongelmaan?

7. Mistä suolanpoistolaitos saa tarvitsemansa sähkön? Mikä ongelma siihen liittyy?

8. Mikä vaikeuttaa Brisbanen vesipulaa?

9. Mikä uusi ratkaisu otetaan käyttöön tänä vuonna?

10. Mitä mieltä hallitus on kuivuudesta?

11. Mikä on todennäköinen syy hallituksen kantaan?