Water shortages, restrictions and drought

recently my area has gotten stricter water restrictions which means we are not allowed to hose our plants or use the hose to water our cars.

it is really bad, now all my garden is going to die. I can understand that their is a water problem but this is a little extreme.

what do you think?

I think we are on level 2 restrictions, it really sucks.
the guidelines are:

Sprinklers can onlybe used between 6 and 8 am and 8 and 10 pm
A hand-held hose or bucket can be used at any time.
Cars can only be rinse using a hose and washed from a bucket.

It makes it really difficult to continue your usually regimes.
And most of our local reservoirs are really quite full how long do they think this drought is going to go for.

Have you even stopped to consider what other parts of the country are going through. i am assuming that you too are an Australian and most likely living in either the Melbourne or Sydney city areas, please correct me if i am wrong.

In places where i live such as rural Victoria we are in such a water crisis that our local reservoiurs which we have used as our main source of water for many years are now at 4% capacity. The water in these catchments are not even expected to last until 2010. So yes we are quite worried about it. As for you being on stage 2 water restrictions, we have had water restictions imposed upon us for quite a number of years, while it isn't necessarily the best for our gardens, i would rather see some garden beds suffer than people die from dehydration, wouldn't you.

We are currently on stage 4 water restrictions which is the highest level before emergency procedures take place.

if you would like to see the detail of these restrictions please view the coliban water website at http://www.coliban.com.au/restriction.htm

I think you are failing to see the severity of this problem, the consequences are far more severe than our garden dying and our cars getting dirty.

The lack of rain or the presence of this drought means that many farmers can not produce adequate crops, not only does this mean near bankruptcy for them but it means less fresh produce for us. There also isn't enough water for irragation which further adds to this.

If we continue to waste water, not only is the health of humans at risk because of dehydration etc but if there is a fire, which is more than likely because of the dryness of the land there are not enough catchments with adequate supplies for tankers to fill up from and fight these.

So as for it being a little extreme i think you simply need to rethink and look at the bigger picture.

Put yourself in the shoes of someone living in rural victoria, the suicide rate has increased to one sucide every four days in these tiny country communities due simply to this drought, that is something like 90 suicides a year. Do you still think it is a little problem.

Believe me if you think this problem isn't going to affect you it will. You can't just think that some parts of the country can live using up large quantities of water whilst the other parts suffer from the drought, it simply doesn't work like that. You should stop being selfish and do your part and help save the water that is a necesity to human lives including yours.

Well were i live in england, during the summer mainly, we couldn't use any hoses but i don't know much more about it than that

at school we saw pics of the drought and its affect around new south wales. i cried. the cows are so skinny....its horrible. and 1 in 4 farmers commit suicide each week coz the drought is cutting off their income and they cant feed their families. i never waste water. i abide by water restrictions and take quick showers, etc.

the happy pessimist:

recently my area has gotten stricter water restrictions which means we are not allowed to hose our plants or use the hose to water our cars.

it is really bad, now all my garden is going to die. I can understand that their is a water problem but this is a little extreme.

what do you think?

I don't know where you live, but I'm assuming it's Australia.

Here, in NSW, for as long as I remember, it's been drought. I mean, from like, 1994, it's been drought. You have to understand that farmers have to sell their stock because they can't afford feed for them. That they have to buy water from elsewhere, because all their supplies have dried up. Damn, even here we get almost no water, but it's more than other areas.

When the drought breaks, the farmers will still have nothing, because all their best stock have gone, been sold, because they had no other choice.

You'd rather keep your garden alive? Maybe you don't understand how extreme it is. It's that extreme, that the government has once again, lowered the water pressure. It's that extreme, that we need these precautions. If we don't do this, the water will run out. And then where will we be? Our dams are at less than 40% full. this is really really bad. The water is running out.

I hate to be mean, but no one cares about your garden. It doesn't matter in the bigger scheme of things. Farmer's animals are dying, they have no water at all, all their feed is dying, and they have no money, and no income, because they can't grow crops.

Here, I'll give you advice. Install a rain water tank. Take shorter shows, and put watersaver tap thingys on your shower head and taps. Use gray waste to water your garden. Don't fucking bother about your car, cause nobody can wash their car either.