Thursday, June 19, 2008

The continuing insanity of Sydney's water restrictions

In Saturday Morning Musings - Gardening and the stupidity of Sydney water restrictions I complained about the way in which local water restrictions limited my ability to grow vegetables when other people could fill their pools. I was angry then. Now I am fuming.

It appears that water restrictions have now been eased to allow unrestricted use of a hose with a trigger nozzle to clean cars, boats, boat engines, caravans and houses. At the same time, use of a hand-held hose to water a garden is still restricted to two days before 10 and after 4.

To begin with, Sydney is not presently short of water - the dams are 65.5% full. Still, if we must have water restrictions for ideological reasons, at least make them fair.

I know that gardening has been in decline, but I really struggle to see any justification for freedom to fill a pool or wash a car when I cannot water a few vegies.

I keep expecting fellow gardeners to protest. Surely there must be at least a few others who feel as I do.

4 comments:

Lexcen said...

Jim, I would like to blame the bureaucrats...oops, sorry Jim.

Jim Belshaw said...

Mmm! You may be partly right, Lexcen,but only partly.

Anonymous said...

Regulating consumption via restrictions was always a pretty lame idea. It makes more sense to regulate consumption using a price signal. Then a litre wasted on your tomatoes is treated the same as a litre wasted on my extended shower.

Jim Belshaw said...

I generally agree with your key point, terjep. Price signals could then be adjusted to changing water availability.

The key reservation in my mind links to equity issues. Mind you, the current restrictions are of themselves inequitable in that they favor the better off.