https:// www.9news.com.au/national/2018/04/20/09/12/cape-town-drought-in-australia
Watch the water.
Will any Australian cities end up like Cape Town?
Cape Town had predicted it would reach Day Zero this week – that was when the city’s dam levels would have dropped to 13.5% of capacity and would be too low to draw clean water from.
On April 16, the day tipped to be Day Zero, the South African city had planned to shut off all taps to reduce water usage, meaning millions of residents would have had to queue at one of just 200 sites for their daily water ration.
The city is currently fighting a once-in-a-384-year-drought but the implementation of heavy water restrictions by city officials has helped save enough water to postpone Day Zero for another year.
Cape Town may have avoided a major crisis this year but the close-call sends a warning to other countries about the fragility of our environment.
Cape Town's Theewaterskloof Dam which is currently at 10.4% of capacity
Cape Town's Theewaterskloof Dam which is currently at 10.4% of capacity
So how does Australia stack-up?
Do we need to worry about the water supply in our major cities if we’re hit with a similar drought to what Cape Town is experiencing?
Nine.com.au put these questions to the Water Services Association of Australia’s (WSAA), the peak body representing water utilities around Australia.
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“During the 2000s drought in Australia, all cities dramatically improved their water efficiency through efforts on water conservation and demand management. As the drought continued utilities moved to diversify their urban water sources with the construction of desalination plants and water recycling to combat any future drought conditions,” Executive Director Adam Lovell said.
“Australian capital cities are now well placed to deal with future drought through diversified supplies and have plenty of supply for the medium-term.”
Warragamba Dam is at 79% of capacity
Warragamba Dam is at 79% of capacity
The 2000s drought, or the Millennium Drought, was the worst recorded since European settlement, and saw water levels in Sydney’s main reservoir, Warragamba dam, fall to a low of 33 percent in 2007. Melbourne’s main reservoir, Thomson Dam, fell to just 16 percent two years later.
While this never triggered a Day Zero situation, it spurred Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and the Gold Coast to invest in alternate supplies, including desalination plants which work by removing salts and minerals from sources such as sea water and convert it to fresh drinking water. Perth now has two desalination plants and plans to build more as the climate becomes dryer.
Play Video
Explainer: Perth’s desalination plants
“Australia is internationally recognised for having planning in place for the future and for being ahead of the game in the water industry”, Mr Lovell said.
“We recently hosted Government officials from Cape Town in Sydney and they also visited our members in Perth and Melbourne to learn how we managed the drought and how our cities plan for the future.”
The future of Australian water
In Cape Town, water use for agriculture has been limited and may be reduced further as they continue to wait for the drought to break.
As for Australia, WSAA have no concerns for our capital cities but with future challenges such as population growth WSAA would like to see more conversations about potable re-use (recycled water for drinking) as another source of supply.
“With potable reuse already being used around the world, including Perth, it’s time to start engaging with our communities about the technology, the product, the safety and the results. We need to ensure there are no policy barriers to urban water supply options including potable reuse”, said Mr Lovell.
Historical streamflows into Perth dams
Watch the infographic video above for a look at where major cities get their water from.