Australia's Water Crisis

Australia: our favorite fantasy land, one filled to the brim with giant spiders, summer in winter, and “‘Ello, mate!” Far away as the largest island continent–actually, the only island continent–it often seems as though nothing can stop the Aussies...except the water crisis that is currently happening in many inland spots within the country. Reservoirs are going dry, specifically in a town called Euchareena, and households all throughout mid-Australia are having to take drastic measures to preserve water–a basic human need.

As James Hamilton, a farmer that owns land inland, says: “Nothing is sustainable without water.” Although Australia’s larger cities have resources to sustain themselves, smaller towns and communities have no choice but to conserve their water as much as they can and depend on water trucks to refill their storage. Some parts of the country are even experiencing less rain and floods–and to add on, the drought that began in 2017 has since been causing “cascading economic effects.”

The lack of investment by the Australian government has affected “its ability to model future climate and water scenarios.” This, combined with the country’s growing population and increasingly “drier and more unpredictable” climate, is putting this issue at the level of an “absolute crisis’” and “‘beyond desperate,’” according to Dr. Wright, a senior lecturer in environmental science in Sydney, Australia.

To reiterate, “Nothing is sustainable without water.” As conditions become more extreme and the effects of climate change increase in severity day by day, it becomes more and more crucial to take drastic measures in order to reverse these effects.

By: Seoyoon Kwon

Sources: NYT