On Wednesday, Stuff reported:
So the real question is what is the government going to do about it? National is in fact going to make the situation worse by further intensifying dairying through increased irrigation projects.
They will spend $400 million from the Future Investment Fund, which is a fund paid for by the proceeds from the partial sell-down of state assets.
Not only are we losing a large proportion of dividends from our power companies, we're going to get even more polluted water as well. This really is a lose lose situation for everybody except rich investors and farmers.
GNS Science researchers have been able to use hydrogen isotopes to show how intensifying agriculture since World War 2 has increasingly put nitrates, sulphates, pesticides, chromium, and CFC refrigerant chemicals into underground reservoirs.
[...]
The research by scientists Uwe Morgenstern and Chris Daughney has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Hydrology.
"Groundwater resources are under threat by pollution from land use activities in the recharge area," their article said.
Worldwide concerns were growing about nutrients in groundwater from fertilisers and high intensity animal farming. Poisonous algal blooms and lake eutrophication were occurring when groundwater discharged into streams and lakes, while nitrates were exceeding recommended concentrations for drinking water supplies.
So the real question is what is the government going to do about it? National is in fact going to make the situation worse by further intensifying dairying through increased irrigation projects.
They will spend $400 million from the Future Investment Fund, which is a fund paid for by the proceeds from the partial sell-down of state assets.
Not only are we losing a large proportion of dividends from our power companies, we're going to get even more polluted water as well. This really is a lose lose situation for everybody except rich investors and farmers.
