Climate change, drought, water restrictions - when you mention the name of Australia as a country, these are just some of the terms which become associated with it. Although these environmental issues are not exclusive to Australia, the fact that desalination plants are planned to be built in Sydney, South Australia, Victoria and Perth are causes for alarm.
Read on to find out why and whether or not the process of desalination really is the ideal solution for the country's drought problem.
A Quick Look at the Possible Ill Effects of Desalination
First, let us define how the process of desalination works. Simply put, desalination is the process of taking salt out of seawater so that it becomes good enough to drink. The concept of using desalination to produce potable water has actually been around for thousands of years. Although this used to be a very expensive solution, institutions like Sydney Water in Australia are willing to invest money for desalination plants to be built.
So what are the possible ill effects of desalination to the environment? Take a look at the following list:
- Desalination plants take up a lot of energy to operate.
- Once a desalination plant becomes operational, it will result to increased greenhouse effect.
- The resulting brine which will be pumped back to sea may cause Australia's rich marine life to suffer - especially the rare species like the Great Barrier Reef's giant cuttlefish.
Water Restrictions, Drought &Climate Change in Australia
As you can see, the impact of a desalination plant's operation to the environment is quite great. In addition to the aforementioned effects, the desalination process may also cause further problems to the already existing drought, water restrictions and climate change in the country
To have a deeper understanding of the effects of desalination, let us address these three issues one at a time. First, the climate change in Australia. Based on worldwide statistics, the country has the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions. When you combine this with the fact that rainfall has increased; water sources are being depleted due to increased population; and the persistence of prolonged drought, it is no wonder why water restrictions are already being implemented.
What about water restrictions? In drought-prone countries like Australia, the government implements these water restriction rules as a response to the drought problem. Depending on your exact location, you may be restricted from doing the following:
- Hosing in of paved areas.
- Refilling swimming pools.
- Using a sprinkler system.
- Watering your lawns.
- Washing your vehicles.
Basically, these water restrictions are implemented in stages - from Stage 1 to Stage 8.
Finally, let us learn more about the drought that Australia is facing. As you may already know, drought occurs when there is a lack of rainfall over a particular period of time, depending on just how naturally prone an area is. Drought is a particularly common occurrence in this part of the world - but even more so from 2003 onwards - when the worst-recorded droughts in history were experienced.
Is Drought Made Worse by Desalination Plants?
Now that you already have an idea about the environmental challenges that Australia is facing, let us check whether the drought problem will be made even worse once the proposed desalination plants become operational
According to AlterNet.org, desalination causes more emissions and ocean acidification as compared to any other water purification process. Sure, it may address drought problems but in the long run, the environmental impact that desalination plants around the country will result to even more problems
It's a classic case of what is known as an amplifying feedback. Greenhouse gases cause climate change; climate change increases drought and water shortage; water shortage drives a country like Australia to use desalination; and desalination causes greenhouse gases. It's a vicious cycle which can be broken using one solution: use 100% renewable energy for the operations of desalination plants.
As of now, the future of using ‘green' energy to sustain the operations of desalination plants is a possibility. If only the proponents of the desalination plant projects can figure out a way to address the issue of the production of super-salty brine. There is a process known as flushing which helps get rid of the brine - but it takes three to six months to finish.
At the end of the day, the answer to the question of whether Australia's drought is made worse by desalination plants is a resounding yes. While authorities are still figuring out how to create that delicate balance between solving the water supply shortage and not suffering from the environmental effects of operational desalination plants - every drop of water which can be saved at home and in the office will go a long way towards addressing the drought problem that the entire country is facing.
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