First rain in 126 days!
New arrivals to South Australia see the capital city, Adelaide, in a beautiful condition, with extensive parklands and suburbs with green manicured lawns. Most immigrants, however, are unaware that we are the driest state in the driest continent (ok, apart from Antarctica, you pedant!).
The Millennium Drought, from 2001 to 2009, devastated communities, industries and the environment, which all rely on a healthy River Murray to prosper.
We could have another very long drought any time. It's the main reason that Adelaide's population is unlikely to ever grow to more than about 1.2 million.
At the peak of the drought, among many other consequences...
* Adelaide was placed on Level 3 water restrictions
* irrigators started 2008-09 and 2009-2010 with the lowest starting allocation on record – just 2 per cent.
* salinity reached record levels, damaging ecosystems and threatening water supplies for people and livestock
* the Murray Mouth almost closed in 2002, triggering the start of round-the-clock dredging for the next eight years
* Aboriginal communities suffered the exposure of ancient burial grounds.
We are currently receiving many immigrants from the Punjab (mostly Sikhs) and China who are used to reliable rain back home. They are in for a real shock one day!
meteologix.com
