Need to be waterwise
Andrew Pearson’s article ‘Water use soars as dry spell rewrites records’ (Mercury October 3) revealed the local region had its lowest September rainfall in 21 years of records last month.
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Unsurprisingly, this record dry sent the region’s daily water usage rates soaring.
(Further south) Shoalhaven City Council is warning stage one water restrictions may only be weeks away. (These) restrictions include allowing people to hand water their gardens at any time but using garden watering systems on alternate days and no hosing down of hard surfaces.
Why don’t we introduce stage one water restrictions right away and keep them in place indefinitely?
We live on one of the driest continents on earth and things are only set to get drier with climate change. The NSW Government’s Illawarra Climate Change Snapshot predicts local climate rainfall will decrease in spring so this year’s pattern may be a preview of more to come.
Stage one water restrictions are small adjustments for households but they can have a big impact - delivering home budget savings on water and building up the climate resilience of our community.
We saw great efforts by the community almost a decade ago during the last drought. Water saving became an unofficial statewide sport, with neighbours competing on the most creative ways of saving water from installing aerating taps and washing pets on the lawn to water grass at the same time to the popular showering with a friend.
These community resilience efforts have proved cost-effective and easy to maintain over time, in stark contrast to Sydney’s desalination plant which has become a costly white elephant.
Not all of the measures for climate adaptation and mitigation will be as easy as households and communities taking action to save water. The Illawarra and Shoalhaven have the opportunity to become leaders for a better future.
Justin Field, Greens MLC and Urban Water Spokesperson
WIN’s loss a fail for region
It is disappointing that a local owned TV network WIN TV was not successful in its bid for TEN Channel 10.
If I see this correctly for Channel TEN to broadcast its programs in regional NSW and Australia it will rely on WIN to do this.
If WIN was able to secure programs overseas and local to present to its own coverage area, Channel Ten’s coverage would only fall in the Sydney area. WIN should be in a box seat to get the best price to relay Ten’s programs.
Finally our Federal Government got company tax of around 30 per cent from existing TEN, but CBS American Owned will only pay 3 per cent to our government.
Will we the Pensioners and our workers need to prop up our government with the short fall?
Richard Cannan, Warilla
Protection from noise
Employers are strictly regulated regarding the level of noise to which they can expose their employees. Why are not promoters and authorities which approve excessive-noise generating events like the Yours and Owls festival regulated in similar ways?
Excessive noise is harmful. Hearing problems like tinnitus and deafness are extremely debilitating and impact on the overstretched, public health budget. .
We are constantly hearing and reading vitriolic statements about people who object to having their peace and health impacted by noise they find obnoxious and distressful.
North Wollongong, including the pub and Stuart Park, sit smack-bang in the middle of a perfect stage surrounded by a curving escarpment. Noise coming from the ‘’stage’’ can be heard clearly in parts of Fairy Meadow, Mt Ousley, and the Garden Hill area.
As our cities become more compacted law-makers will have no choice … but to make enforceable laws that protect all.
Richard Burnett, Wollongong
