Recycled water is being used in many parts of the world to solve the water crisis. The drought in Australia is taking its toll and Peter Beatie, the Premier of Queensland, with low-level of water in the dams is going ahead with a program to pump in recycled sewage water into the dams.

He says: “These are ugly decisions … but you either drink water or you die … There’s no choice … It’s liquid gold … it’s a matter of life and death”

Australian state governments have been wary of providing recycled water to its people and are suggesting other measures like taking smaller showers. With only 20 million people living on one large continent, even if it is the driest in the world, Australia should not have a water problem. The present water crisis should have been expected a prepared for.

Should Australia waste this water:

Each year, Australia’s major cities draw more than 2200 billion litres of water from rivers and ground water sources for industrial, commercial and domestic uses, before expelling 1300 billion litres of it into the sea or rivers. With a drying climate reducing water availability and a growing population increasing demand for water, it raises the question – do we really need to waste this water?

With desalination technology available, recycled water system which can be implemented and water bills the least of all expenses for a household, Australia should not be worrying about this liquid gold. In fact, when Australian’s are ready to pay $2.5 for bottled water and creating a environmental problem, they should be ready to pay for household water a little more than the current price.

A key cause of the urban “water shortage” is that artificially low prices for water have made alternative sources – including piping water from rural areas to the cities, better use of stormwater run-off and fixing leaking pipes, recycling and desalination – uneconomic.

“Most water experts agree that by the time current water prices are increased by 50 per cent to 100 per cent [from their current 41 cents to $1.50 per kilolitre] a range of new supply options become economically viable,” the Business Council paper says.

Simple economics, complex politics. However, as the Crikey‘s editor wrote today about Peter Beattie,

“The Queensland government’s decision to abandon its referendum on recycling drinking water from treated sewage – because the water shortage is too acute and there’s no time to waste – will probably be cited as an example of government autocracy or even dumb politics.

It is neither. Rather, it’s an example of what governments are supposed to do – govern. Be decisive in the interests of the electorate. Accept the mandate and exercise it.”

Australia needs leadership in this area.