‘Water, water, every where,
‘Nor any drop to drink.’
We have Samuel Taylor Coleridge to thank for those classic lines in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
It sums it up for me.
The right to safe and clean water is a basic human right.
But it’s not until someone threatens to take it away that you realise life depends on it.
Sadly, that’s the reality more than 120 communities who rely on water from the Great Artesian Basin could be facing.
Glencore’s proposed trial Surat Basin Carbon Capture and Storage Project (which aims to demonstrate the effective permanent storage of captured carbon dioxide) sounds well and good, but it could potentially contaminate this underground water supply.
The proposal suggests pumping liquified CO2 (industrial waste) from Millmerran Power Station into the GAB, leading to potentially irreparable damage to aquifers, and resulting in devastating consequences for the water used for general urban and industrial uses, including agriculture.
It doesn’t bear thinking about.
And as advocates for Queensland’s farming communities, we cannot stand by and do nothing.
Much to my dismay, AgForce’s calls for the State Government to extend the public notification period for the project’s Environmental Impact Statement have fallen on deaf ears.
But we haven’t given up.
We are urging the powers that be to extend the consideration period for the project and will be putting formal and detailed submissions to Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science.
Rushing the process could mean these issues are overlooked, and inadequate consideration on such a sensitive project risks doing more harm than good.
Approving the project in its current state would also set a concerning precedent for future impacts on a vitally important water source – not to mention the cultural and environmental importance of the GAB.
Water is at the core of sustainable development and community survival.
It is critical for energy and food production, for healthy ecosystems, and for human survival itself.
Let’s give the Great Artesian Basin the respect it deserves, rather than appeasing multinationals looking to make a quick buck – with potentially devastating consequences.
