It rained here in Melbourne over the weekend and it was a lovely sight. Unfortunately not for very long and we need way more over the next few months.
I'm not sure how you can measure the rainfall on a city. I know the weather forecasters will tell you we received 10 mm. but that is not the whole picture. If you are in the country and there are open fields and dams etc. the water just falls where it falls with some run off after the ground has absorbed it's fill. But here in the city all the surfaces are hard and impervious. The water runs off almost immediately. Off it goes down the spouting into the drains and off down to the streams/rivers and ultimately the sea.
Yep all you people who live in cities that collect their rain water like London, you read that correctly. Here in Melbourne we just let the rain water run down into the sea.
Why I don't know, so when the pollies are telling us about expensive schemes to make drinking water out of sea water or collect water from the far north of Australia, both very expensive. You tell them that when it rains in our cities we should save every drop of it and return it to the water system.
Forget rain tanks in back yards they can be hazardous. We need to look at water collection like our forefathers did and come up with schemes that can make a real difference and guarantee additional water for all Australians.
A note for Mandy: We are going to have a new government this year and it will probably be a change to Labor. But it will be as you said much of same.
Woof.
Any additional comments can be sent to mark_brickel@hotmail.com
