Troubled Waters: Confronting the Water Crisis in Australia's Cities

Abstract

Despite the urgency with which Australian cities now face the problem of inadequate water supplies, and despite the impact of recent patterns of changes in climate on those supplies, the roots of the water problem are deeply historical and can only be addressed by accounting for intersecting technological, cultural, economic and political factors. Together these factors have entrenched a path dependency in the way water services are supplied and attitudes towards them that must be thoroughly questioned if the current crisis is to be understood and addressed. This book summarises these intersections as a preliminary to the consideration of alternative methods of ensuring a sustainable and appropriate mix of the supply of water services for Australian cities in the future.