The State Government has been forced to intervene amid the water crisis in the Hills and Fleurieu regions.
A severe lack of rainfall and water carrier delays have left some locals off of mains connections without water, prompting Minister Susan Close yesterday to implement emergency procedures in Parliament.
Temporary bulk water collection points will be set up in Woodside (Ridge Road), Sandergrove (Koennecke Road) and Brukunga (Peggy Buxton Road), with a fourth site also being considered for the southern Fleurieu or near Aldinga.
The sites will be staffed between 7am and 7pm daily, subject to demand.
Other measures introduced include outside transport companies being hired to be used as additional water carriers, as well as more resources for water security education.
Minster Close yesterday reminded affected locals to be courteous and respectful to water carriers during this process, while further reiterating the situation is not the product of insufficient water volumes across the state.
Shadow Water Minister David Basham says the situation was flagged weeks ago by independents and the opposition, with the response coming too slowly.
“It has taken nearly three weeks for the Minister to deliver simple solutions to the emergency that should have been implemented immediately, such as using milk tankers to help transport water, which has now formed part of Labor’s belated response,” Basham said.
“I urge Minister Close to respond to my formal offer that we create a bi-partisan taskforce where our combined knowledge can be utilised for a timely sensible emergency response. This issue is too important to play politics, our communities need us to work together.”
