CSIRO Study Predicts "Dramatic" Impact On Infrastructure From Australian Drought

[hatrack]

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The CSIRO's Paul Holper, a co-author of the report, discussed the findings with Samantha Donovan.

PAUL HOLPER: Things vary from infrastructure type to infrastructure type. Certainly we found that water resources are likely to be the most severely affected and we're likely to see more downpours, more extreme daily rainfall events, for example, and that could well lead to flooding. We could also see some, as the ground dries out, we are likely to see more ground movement and that will affect pipes, water supply pipes, sewerage pipes and so on. And that's in addition to the water shortages that, unfortunately, we are likely to experience in future.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: What were some of the more surprising findings that you think the community will be taken aback by?

PAUL HOLPER: I think the relevance of the report is that we've looked at a whole range of different infrastructure types and identified specific areas where they need to be aware that changes are likely to affect them. So we looked at water resources, we looked at power, telecommunications, transport and buildings, and for each of those sectors, there are a whole range of findings that I think will be of great relevance to them.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: I believe one of the things you found in relation to telecommunications was that in the case of an emergency, whether a flood or a power blackout, phones and other means of communication may go down.

PAUL HOLPER: Yeah, that's quite possible and the sorts of risks to telecommunications included extreme wind, certainly bush fires, and storms.

EDIT

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s1924238.htm