Waterworld? Australia to buy $2.9B in water
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - April 29, 2008 The spending is the most expensive component of a $12.1 billion,
10-year plan to reduce water waste and improve water efficiency on
Australian farms and in cities.
"Climate change means most Australian cities and towns have
less water and we can no longer rely on local rainfall to supply
all our drinking water," Minister for Climate Change and Water
Penny Wong said in a statement.
But a mayor in the farming district targeted by the water
purchasing plan cautioned that the it would reduce Australia's
agricultural exports at a time of global food shortages and
inflation.
"The cost of food will certainly rise. The nation's exports
will drop," Brian Sharp told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
The water purchasing plan would target the Murray-Darling river
system in southeast Australia, where most of the country's
irrigated farms are based.
Rainwater washing into the country's most important river system
has been 49 percent below average for the past decade.
Under the plan, the government would buy back water allocated to
farmers along the river that they use for irrigation.
The National Farmers' Federation, a farming advocacy group,
agreed that too much water was being drained from the river system
for farms. But NFF chief executive officer Ben Fargher said the
government must not compel farmers to give up their allocated
water.
"We know there have been over-allocation problems, and
therefore we're happy to talk to the government about buying back
water as long as it's from willing sellers," Fargher told Sky
television.
Wong did not say whether farmers could be forced to give up
water.