Acacia Rose paints a chillingly accurate picture of the direction in which the most essential of our natural resources is becoming increasingly under the control of government and corporations.

Not only 'ownership' but also health, safety and environmental issues are ignored in the scramble for the almighty dollar, and I strongly suspect, kickback.

I would add to the list of dirty deeds done for dollars, the Qld Labor Govts compulsory fluoridation scheme.

I'd like to sell 100 megalitres of irrigation water for which there isn't a huge market in my area at the moment. The Qld Govts subsiduary Sunwater charges me about $9000 a year to hold it in their dam and I couldn't even give it back to them if I wanted to. I can't lease it to industrial users or Local Govt for town supply - even though water from the scheme will be essentially 'confiscated' and reallocated for such purpose in times of need. No compensation though. You thinking - that doesn't make sense? Remember it is 'Government' we're talking about. So I sit on it until the market is right or begin to advertise in China?

There have certainly been a lot of mistakes in our handling of water allocations over the past decades but I don’t see any solutions being proffered here.
No doubt our farmers need water and our people need drinking water as do the various birds, plants and animals roaming around the place.

Judging by the tenor of this piece it would seem the author wants to use the heavy handed and unimaginative club of legislation and governmental rules to “fix” the problems and force a compliance to her way of thinking. This is the same process that got us to this point.

The capitalist in me says to let the free enterprise system work things out. Let the price of water rise to the demand. When the price becomes high enough there will be entrepreneurs that will build desalinization plants.
Let the idiots that decided it was a good thing to grow rice and cotton in the desert go out of business. If farmers can’t afford to pay the water bill maybe they are farming in the wrong place or using very old technology. BTW Israel has some excellent technology for minimalist watering in an arid country.

In the mean time let those that want a green lawn pay the price and maybe we should import more of our food from places with an abundance of water.

Bruce, Of course much of Israel's applied politics in relation to its various neighbours is also about access to and control of water sources, especially rivers.
As indeed is much of the politics in that part of the world. Even more so in the future.

No so called free market principles operating there. Free for the taking by those with the most powerful army.

The same water wars situation is and will also be the case in much of the rest of the world

You don't need to look much past the Cochamba water situation in Bolivia back in 2000 or the 46% post-privatisation price hikes that happened in the UK to see what's planned for our public water supplies.

Private de-sal plants are a handy way to let the private operators get a foot in the door.

From there it's only a short leap to private distribution and then another to full private ownership of supplies as well.

We are witnessing the corporate take over of our country.The robber barons want it all.

The utilities are privatetised, so what, the govt; calls the shots on the quality of it. If it is left in govt ; hands you would label it communism. You have a choice, if you do not like it do not use it, or drink it, there are alternatives. De sal; plants are very handy in times of drought, no good waiting for a drought to happen before you build one. It takes years.