Re: Against all odds

Mr . Pangkor
so much from your Aussie Godfather on water management/

Sydney's swelling pool of poison
Email Print Normal font Large font Tim ***
August 23, 2006



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AdvertisementTENS of thousands of Sydney residents have been banned from
using groundwater for anything, from filling swimming pools to watering
gardens, as a wave of industrial contamination spreads north from Botany
Bay.

From Surry Hills to Tempe and across to Phillip Bay, residents were
permanently prohibited yesterday from using any water taken from the ground.

The effect of eight former industrial sites near Botany and the Alexandria
Canal - in addition to the plume from the Orica chemical plant - forced the
complete residential ban on using groundwater.

Four of the sites have already been cleaned up - including an old rubbish
tip, power station and petrol station - while four more are undergoing
remedial work, including metal works and a dry cleaners.

But the lasting effects of pollutants from the sites mean the aquifer below
much of inner Sydney and the eastern suburbs is off-limits. The heavy
industrial use has led to solvents, petrol, diesel, lead and arsenic
contaminating the aquifer.

At least 13 additional suburbs are now affected. The Government said its
decision to impose the ban was prompted by the combined effect of a century
of heavy industry and the drought leading more people to use groundwater.

Surry Hills, Redfern, Waterloo, Rosebery, Alexandria, Sydenham, Tempe,
Erskineville, Botany, Phillip Bay and nearby areas are covered by the ban.

Residents are banned from using bore water for drinking, filling swimming
pools and washing windows. Even watering gardens or washing cars with the
groundwater is now forbidden.

While the Government said only 28 licensed home bore users were affected,
many more unlicensed users might be covered by the ban. Both legal and
illegal users were told to stop drawing groundwater now.

The ban was endorsed by cabinet yesterday. The Government denied it was
sparked by any new specific testing, but by a report it received on Monday.

It comes soon after Sydney Harbour was closed to fishing because of dioxins,
and amid continuing controversy over the $165 million clean-up of the Orica
site.

Factories, parks and golf courses are still able to tap their bores for
water, but they now have to test them at least once a year to see if the
water is safe to use.

The Minister for Natural Resources, Ian Macdonald, said yesterday that it
was common knowledge that the area had extensive industry for a century.

"As our knowledge of groundwater contamination and movements increases, and
given the history of the area, we need to extend our campaign to minimise
the risk to public health," he said.

Mr Macdonald said residents would receive letters in the next few days, and
would be offered free testing for licensed bores. A hotline has been set up
for those with health concerns (1800 237 012).

That did not satisfy the Greens MP Ian Cohen who accused the Government of
sitting on its hands. "The contamination of the Botany Sands aquifer is
obviously far worse than residents of inner Sydney were led to believe," he
said.

He called on the Government to pay for residents to be tested for "potential
adverse health effects", saying general practitioners did not have the
expertise to deal with industrial poisoning.

The Opposition environment spokesman, Michael Richardson, said the widened
ban was further proof of the Government's poor record in managing pollution
in the Sydney basin.

"These are serious issues and I just don't think the Government has been
serious about them," he said.



"Pangkor" <Daqtaoge@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1156291365.606539.284140@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Wah lau, sure gao mm tim one, I also thought, but maybe, surely, there
is a management board and consultants advising, supervising and
auditing the 11 of them. If you have good staff, you must try your best
to retain them, listen to them. Ho bo?.


Ventura wrote:
Alamak !!!
Sure finished lah !!!!
A repeated failure put in charge of basic essential necessity like
pangai water !!!!
Go and Pangsai Lah !!!!!!!



"Pangkor" <Daqtaoge@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1156261563.815028.227730@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/learning/story/0,4136,111814,00.html

'I wanted to challenge my limits and I told myself I can do it.'

And he did.




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