Day Zero

Day Zero gets closer for many Australian towns. Day Zero is when we run out of water.

So far I think five NSW and Qld towns have reached Day Zero already but more towns will run out within weeks and many more within 6 months.

Sydney dams are down to below 43% full.



Some towns have undrinkable water already because of high arsenic levels and are relying on tank or bottled water.

We were here in the millennium drought but this has happened far quicker and far more severe. Is this the sign of things to come? Has the climate switch been flipped?

Re: Day Zero

Blimey Bruce the bad news in Australia never stops, what an unprecedented series of natural disasters you've had this last year or two....

We can only hope it turns around soon, but if it doesn't what on earth happens then? The prospect is terrifying...

Re: Day Zero

Do you not have desalination plants, Bruce?

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That is very scary, Bruce. Wish we could send you our rain.

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I too wondered about that and on checking there is quite a lot of information available. These links give some information about desalination plants:

https://theconversation.com/cities-t...at-cost-110972

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-...-work/10753334

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Worrying times for you Bruce ...

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Difficult times, indeed. Have courage, the rains will come. In the meantime, I expect that the water well drillers will be booked up a year in advance.

Those "end of the world" types said the same thing about California just a few years ago. The rains came and the snows fell, and now no more hysteria.

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There was a time when the Sahara Desert was a plush forest covered paradise, and I believe the Outback was the same Bruce, hence all the oil and coal deposits.Nature has a habit of giving with one hand and taking away with the other.

We often pontificate on the forum about what will be the demise of mankind, could this be the beginning of the end, especially in Australia. It appears if mankind is to survive we must become nomads and travel to suitable places to live, but be prepared to move at a moments notice.

Perhaps with the melting ice at the poles they will become the ideal place to migrate to in the future....

All the same, I'm sorry for all you folks down under and hope the situation soon improves Bruce...

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"The beginning of the end"? Oh, please. Total nonsense.

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I am always really reluctant to use words like "nonsense" but I have say "end of the world" stuff is somewhat alarmist. There is a huge amount of research going on here about how to ease the water shortage problem. The dams have been emptier before than they are now. Yes the problem is very bad. Some towns are totally drying up. For them it is the end almost and that is disastrous. It a very bad period on the driest continent on Earth (Apart from Antarctica) BUt desalination will have to take over much more and it will. The end of the world is away a little yet.