Jose Scalabrino, Bothasig
The drought crisis is threatening our very “right to life”. An immediate and resolute multi-method drought-relief plan has to be decided upon by the full council.
Suspend all expenditure of a non-essential nature and suspend all political party activity immediately so there can be a 100% concerted effort by all councillors to work day and night to overcome this crisis.
Urgently recruit specialists to do thorough surveys of all aquifers, artesian wells, natural springs, rivers and lakes for possible augmentation.
Only 10% (60 megalitres) of the City’s 600 megalitres of effluent is being recycled through the Potsdam sewerage works to irrigate certain designated close-by areas including Century City. The remaining 540 megalitres is discharged into the sea.
You tell us to use grey water but then simply refuse to follow your very own highly effective advice. Would not a full 540 megalitres per day saving hugely alleviate our current dire water shortage?
America has developed a carbon based material called graphene which can work as a molecular nano filter capable of a virtual 100% decontamination and desalination of any and all ground and sea water at “one ninth” of the cost of the current highly expensive “reverse osmosis” method.
Drought is a national problem, not simply a provincial one.
So it would make sense for a national drought-relief fund be established through the voluntary purchase of national drought relief bonds offered by all the major banks at a high but sustainable rate of interest and tax free.
This will attract investment in national water security, providing a secure future for generations to come.