In January 2007 Melbourne used a grand total of just over 35 million litres of water, down 24% from January 2006.
Each day in South Australia BHP uses over 32 million litres, all extracted from the Great Artesian Basin, and doesn’t pay a cent for it. Still, at least they didn’t increase it to the 150+ million litres a day they wanted to..
NB: BHP’s water use does not impinge on Melbourne, so don’t think I’m saying I don’t believe in the water savings that are so necessary here!
There is nothing like putting a price on the amount of water being used to change perception and behaviour.
Here in Wales, householders have a choice of paying a flat rate for water, or opting to have a meter installed and therefore paying for the water actually used.
We have a meter. It is always obvious to us who around here has a meter and who does not, as the attitude to water mis-use stands out a mile. Taps are left running, cars are washed with the hose streaming during the soaping process. Oh it is endless!
Also, we find that people who have meters are also the ones who fit rain catchment systems to their properties for garden use.
If all people, including commercial enterprises, were to be metered, maybe attitudes would change and by a roundabout way, we might even get more people involved in helping to start saving our planet.
This of course is all on a tiny scale compared to the huge happenings in Oz 😉