Drought Conditions
In the SMH monthly magazine an article recently discussed the “top 10” environmental problems facing the city, offering a few measures residents could take to alleviate some of the damage, most of which involved the use of household rainwater tanks. All well and good, says I, but there are things my city can do, too, such as requiring all new public buildings to employ rainwater collection and grey water reuse. EnergyAustralia, for example, recently put up a new substation in Surry Hills; want to bet it doesn’t have any built-in conservation measures? Not me. One of the issues discussed in relation to the drought is that in the city itself there are vast paved areas, which only serve to sluice water into storm drains and thence to the sea, so that any rain that does fall in the city doesn’t relieve the water problems faced here. Enter permeable pavement. Although repaving doesn’t take place at anything like the level seen in cities where the climate is a significant factor in the wear and tear on roadways and footpaths, Sydney could undertake to use these materials henceforth whenever such work is required. So could Perth, Melbourne, et al. Write your local parliamentarian today.