Australia's Largest City Tightens Water Restrictions As Drought Bites

WATERWORLD

Water restrictions were first introduced in Sydney in October 2003 and have been gradually tightened as the drought continues.

Sydney (AFP) May 31, 2005
Australia's largest city, Sydney, announced unprecedented water restrictions Tuesday as the country's worst drought on record left dam levels at less than 40 percent.

Under the new restrictions, more than four million Sydneysiders will be limited to watering their gardens just twice a week from July 1, with tough fines for those caught wasting the increasingly scarce resource.

The New South Wales state government quadrupled the penalty for anyone caught stealing water, by diverting it from fire hydrants or using illegal plumbing, to a 2,200 dollar (1,660 US) on-the-spot fine, rising to 50,000 dollars if the offence is proved in court.

Exemptions previously granted to businesses such as used car saleyards were also rescinded.

"If necessary, we will step up enforcement," state Utilities Minister Frank Sartor told reporters. "We have 50 patrol cars and even local councils can enforce (the restrictions)."

Water restrictions were first introduced in Sydney in October 2003 and have been gradually tightened as the drought continues. Sartor said even stricter rules could be introduced if dam levels fell below 30 percent.

Australia's federal government on Monday increased its drought aid package for stricken farmers by 250 million dollars to 1.25 billion dollars.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

WATERWORLD

Appropriate Policies Needed To Make Better Use Of Water

Rome, Italy (SPX) Apr 04, 2005
Appropriate policies and good governance practices are needed to encourage and guide farmers to make better use of water says the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.