13 October 2019
Government dam plans will add to the ecological crisis gripping our rivers
The Nature Conservation Council calls on the NSW Government to retain thorough assessment of water infrastructure projects to avoid further ecological catastrophes like the mass fish kills earlier this year.
“We need thorough assessment of water infrastructure projects now more than ever to ensure we don’t make matters worse,” Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.
“The problems we are facing today are a direct result of this government refusing to listen to its own planning experts, who warned of this looming water crisis six years ago.” [1]
Berejiklian Cabinet is reportedly considering measures to circumvent environmental and planning rules to fast-track dams, bores and water pipelines as part of a $1 billion infrastructure package. [2]
Under these changes, NSW Water Minister would be empowered to slash requirements for biodiversity surveys, sidelining the Planning Department and leaving decisions to WaterNSW.
“Bypassing proper environmental checks will compound the ecological and social disasters the NSW Government’s has already helped to create,” Mr Gambian .
“This is going to be a devastating summer across NSW and no amount of political chest beating is going to make it any more manageable.
“We need to reduce our water use, and the best way to do that is by slashing the amount of water allocated to big irrigators and to stop undermining the Murray Daring Basin Plan.
“Governments stopped building dams 30 years ago for a very good reason. Dams fail to provide water security for local communities, they degrade river systems and cause a host of environmental problems.
“And in the era of climate change and higher evaporation, new dams are unlikely to fill.”
REFERENCES
[1] 2013 draft report warned that NSW towns would be left high and dry, SMH, 16-8-2019
[2] https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/drought-busting-laws-to-fast-track-approvals-for-critical-projects-amid-1b-cash-boost-20191012-p5302f.html
Tags
Forests and wildlifePlanning and DevelopmentNSW ParliamentRivers and wetlands
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