We've got rain!

The water trucks had been running for several days, refilling water tanks in Otatara and Riverton and no doubt other rural Southland enclaves as well, but they won't be rolling today - we've had a couple of days of rain now and that'll be doing their job for them. How common is a winter drought down here I wonder?

Water privatisation

This, from Indymedia, is what we need to be guarding against. I've grabbed a sizable chunk of their article, but it's so well expressed. The remainder can be read here. Essential reading.

" On Tuesday 4 May 2010 the Local Government Amendemnt Bill passed its first reading in New Zealand Parliament. One aspect of the Bill deals with water. While the government is denying this, the Bill allows councils to privatise water. They will be able to:

• enter into contracts with private companies to run water services for up to 35 years (the current limit is 15 years)
• allow private companies to own and control water infrastructure for the duration of these contracts (the current legislation requires councils to retain ownership and control of water)

The long-term leases the Bill allows for are the dominant model of water privatisation in the world. It is very rare for councils or governments to sell off the water asset entirely. Long term leases work in private companies favour as they can make profit from water while the public sector retains long-term costs and responsibilty. Internationally the model that has been proposed is shown to lead to higher water costs, less accountability and reduced services."

(more)

Glass half-full (of what?)

“How many warnings does this Government need before they take action to set enforceable water quality standards? I urge the Minister to adopt the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management that is currently lying on his desk.”

The Green's Russel Norman puts the heat on the Government for what he calls, 'what we already know', “Intensive dairy farming, as well as inadequate sewage treatment, is responsible for the deterioration of our rivers, streams and lakes, the common heritage of all New Zealanders."

The due-out-soon Environment Southland report on water quality in our region is hardly likely to say anything other than, 'what we already know'. Nevertheless, we await the report optimistically, after all, they do say you can't manage what you haven't measured.