Seionala Paongo
EIL 320
31 January, 2014.
Effects of Water Shortage in Southern Australia One of the major problems that have a lot of effects on countries and its people nowadays is water shortage. Since water is one of the basic needs of human being and all living things for survival, water is indeed needed for nearly everything. A well developed country like Australia for example, a place where most people called paradise do struggle with water shortage. And with that water shortage is a problem in Australia especially on its Southern part and it has affects the country in so many ways. Water shortage affects Australia’s economy, its people’s lifestyle and also its environment and surrounding. Water shortage has so many effects of countries and its people. And one of those effects in the country of Australia is the economic effect. From the article South Australia (2008), drought worsens pulled out from the One-minute world news it talks about how the Murray – Darling river basin has reach it worse state because of the drought. Murray-Darling River is known for the country’s most important river system. The basin produces 40% of Australia’s fruits, vegetables and grain that helps the development of its economy (2008). But ever since the drought, the percentage of product produces has decreased. And when the product decreases the economy drops too. Not only has water shortage had effects on Australia’s economy it also affect its people’s lifestyle. According to Roger Harrabin writer of the article Water Supplies in Crisis from the BBC News (2012) he states how water is a finite resource and therefore the usage of water has to be limited. With the drought there’s less water for people to use from the river Murray-Darling. And with each individual understanding that they had limited amount of water to use their lifestyle changes. And most of those changes were changes from better to worse. Harrabin (2012) wrote about how people are coming to a stage where they will be reusing the amount of water that they have for different types of activities and it does change their lifestyle for it leads to unhealthy and unhealthy lifestyle leads to sickness. Adding on to that how water shortage has effect on its environment. From the video The Biggest Dry, Stories of Australia’s Waning Rivers & Towns it shows there how Murray-Darling River was the pride and promise of farmers and business owners alike (2008). But with the long period of the