Political inaction undermining water supply
Continued mining underneath water courses is cracking river beds, draining and polluting rivers and threatening the quality and quality of drinking and agriculture water, according to Greens Upper House caudate John Kaye.
Dr Kaye said: "Allowing coal mining to push under water catchments is causing a catastrophe that is largely being ignored by both the Coalition and the Government.
"Later today I will launch The Greens 'Water more precious than coal' private members bill that would ban mining activity within one kilometre of all water courses in NSW. This would affect existing mining leases and retract permissions within the buffer zone.
"We challenge Premier Iemma and Opposition Leader Debnam to join with us in protecting the water supply.
"Despite being repeatedly warned of the dangers, the Iemma government allowed long wall coal mining under the Waratah Rivulet that feeds into the Woronora Catchment. The watercourse bed cracked and drained the rivulet. Now it is badly polluted and hardly flows at all.
"Mining at the Appin 3 colliery recently damaged the Cataract River and further depleted Sydney's catchments. NSW Mineral Resources Minister Ian Macdonald ignored the Interagency Committee's buffer recommendation of 350 m, watering it down to 80 m.
"Valuable runoff into Sydney's water supply has been lost or damaged.
"The catastrophe is set to be repeated in other mining areas, with the extension of the huge Dendrobium coal mine under the Avon and Cordeaux catchments.
"While the state government fiddles, the water supply is being compromised.
"The Greens are calling on all political parties to put the security of the water supply ahead of their allegiances to the mining industry.
"A one kilometre protection zone would protect the catchments and stop the cracking and draining of most water courses.
"We do not have time for further inquiries or debates about appropriate stand off distances. Sydney's storages are already perilously depleted. Destroying catchments while planning for desalination plants makes no sense," Dr Kaye said.
