Iraq rattled by Snake Plague

This recent article I found while researching for another of my Passions "Living with Wildlife" goes to show that the issue of water is going to become a global problem.

Because the Turks have taken control of the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates by over zealous damming and allocation to their own needs, Iraq is experiencing water shortages as a result. So much so that Snakes as inhabitants of the marsh lands of the lower reaches are now desperately seeking alternative refuge. This I am sure can only lead to stressed relations between the two countries in the future. I wish them luck when we are now relying on two not over friendly Governments negotiating to resolve this issue. We cannot even control a fair flow for all under our Federal Government System and have to still sit by while State Governments act totally selfishly and foolishly on our Murray Darling issue.

Indeed it is said that the Garden of Eden was actually located at the joining of the Tigris and the Euphrates. It has only gone down hill from there as each power that has controlled the region has done nothing but destroy the agriculture and livelihood of the region, including the salting of the region by the Genghis Khan.

Just as a post script my experience with snakes is that they rarely attack. Generally they are shy and may be forced to defend from time to time. The snakes of Iraq include Vipers a species not found in Australia and two or three varieties of Cobra, an Elapid which is closely related to the most common species of Snakes found in Australia, including our Brown, Tiger and red- bellied black snakes.

The snake pictured is an Arabian Cobra and for any information on this please visit this site - Snakes of Iraq

NSW stalls water buyback scheme

The link to this article is worth a read.

New South Wales, where a study by the University of New South Wales showed that there are over 2,500kms of illegal levees and dams just in NSW. Oh please this complete abuse of Power is absolutely disgusting. Why has a Government ignored this illegal abuse and now condones their actions further by pure "bloody minded" belligerence.

The Federal Government must act now and take control of all Water Allocation of the Nations Major River System.

Green light for Murray-Darling management bill

So now the Bill has passed and according to Penny Wong "We will get on with the work of making sure that authority is up and running, so we can start the important work of preparing the first ever basin-wide plan which will include for the first time a cap based on science."

I guess my concern remains as to the undoing of the illegal levies etc that have been reported on. The over allocation that has gone on under State Government controls. It would seem to me that there is not a lot of time to procrastinate here and would ask the Federal Government moves much faster to ensure an equitable solution for all while the longer term plan is laid out.