Water, Water ... Anywhere?

Australia, currently having the worst drought on record for most of the country, is really desperate for water. Water restrictions have been in place around the country for a few years now. Brisbane just started level 5 water restriction yesterday, which means people can only water their gardens during a small window of time on alternate days and there is to be no car-washing. The city council is encouraging people to restrict their daily water usage to 140 liters per person per day. Lake Wivenhoe, the main reservoir supplying Brisbane with drinking water, is down to 20% of its capacity. If rain doesn't come, level 6 restriction will come into effect by September, which is very likely by the looks of it. The summer has come and gone, and there hasn't been enough rain to make much of a difference.

Up here in Hervey Bay, things are a little better. We're only in level 3 restriction. Sprinklers are out, hosing down the driveway is out; but watering gardens and washing cars with buckets are still allowed. That's a such a luxury compared to Brisbane. The way it's going, though, it'll only be a matter of time before the restriction level goes up, especially when you consider the fact that Hervey Bay is the fastest-growing city in Queensland.

While all this is going on in southern Queensland, it's been the other extreme in the north. Only two months ago, northern Queensland got deluged by cyclones. Many regional cities in the north got flooded and crops destroyed. Looking at this juxtaposition of waterworld in the north and cracked lake beds in the south, I can't help but wonder: are we looking at the progress of global warming or is this a coincidence? Either way, we don't have the luxury to wait until we know for sure.