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Overview
State by State analysis
Overview
With the onset of wide spread drought across many southern regions of Australia, water shortages are becoming increasing common place in many cities. Expected climate change is likely to intensify the water crisis for many cities that are already vulnerable to water shortages, leading to significant declines in water for cities over the next 70 years (CSIRO 2002). Cities and regions that are most at risk include Perth and Adelaide, along with many inland communities (CSIRO 2002).
In addition, the increased occurrence of extreme weather events predicted under climate change is likely to impact upon existing water storage infrastructure, further placing stress upon city water supplies.
How much water do Australia cities use at present?
In 1996/1997, each person in a typical Australian household consumed roughly 350 litres of water per day (DEH 2005). Here, gardening was responsible for up to 50% of total water use, with flushing toilets coming second consuming up to 25% (DEH 2005).
Starkly contrasting these figures, people in Asia, Africa and Latin America use between 50 to 100 litres per day, whilst water use in the USA averages 400 to 500 litres per person, per day (DEH 2005).
For a State-by-State city analysis of potential water supply impacts under climate change, select from the following list:
ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA
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