David Harris MP recently visited Armidale, and has been quoted in the Express as saying "the idea that drought happens every now and then and then we recover is changing to drought is the trend and we get the odd good year. It's a whole different way of thinking".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
I agree with this view, and the sooner the community as a whole (particularly our politicians) come to recognise this new reality, the sooner measures of long-term adjustment can be discussed and adopted.
Many people here keep their own rainfall figures, which show that the present drought is just part of a drying trend evident over decades. Of course there are wetter as well as drier years, but the overall drying trend is clear. It is paralleled by rising temperatures, and reflected in this extraordinary bushfire season.
Building more dams, sucking out more groundwater, and charitable gifts, are only band-aid measures. In the longer term they might actually worsen the situation, for example by killing the river ecosystems, exhausting ancient groundwater resources, and encouraging farmers to try to carry on their previous lifestyles and businesses with continuing outside help.
We need a complete re-think on how we deal with this fundamentally deteriorating situation, a re-think free from preconceptions and attempts to prop up old ways of doing things . The implications for agriculture, settlement patterns, mining, and every-day ways of life are enormous. But without intelligent and strong action, we face an accelerating slide into catastrophe.
Jeremy Smith
Armidale
All letters to the editor need to include the writer's name and address, plus a phone number if we need to contact you for clarification. Preference is given to emailed letters that are 250 words or less. Letters may be edited for clarity, space or legal reasons.