By Chris Allen OPINION: Security of water supply is a global issue.
As populations increase and cities grow, pressure also increases to supply communities with clean and reliable drinking water.
South Africa’s Cape Town almost went completely dry on water in 2017.
The US city of Flint’s water supply is in a shocking state and has been for years.
What happened to Oamaru appears to be a massive downpour in rain caused their water supply to become too turbid for normal consumption.
These cases underline the fragility of water infrastructure and what happens when it’s not taken seriously.
New Zealand needs to develop modern infrastructure to harvest and store this valuable and plentiful resource.
Oamaru is an area of the country that should be well-known to anyone who ever took notice of the news in the ’80s.
In the case of Cape Town officials had asked the public for years to restrict their water use and they were ignored.
Maybe when New Zealanders are faced with water shortages on a more regular basis they will take this issue more seriously.