Drinking recycled sewage the way forward for parched Australia: Howard

Australiaีs prime minister has hailed a move that will force citizens of a drought-parched region to drink recycled sewage. He believed it was the way ahead for the rest of the worldีs driest inhabited continent.

John Howard praised Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, who on Sunday announced residents in the stateีs tinder-dry southeast would be drinking recycled waste water as early as next year, whether they liked it or not.

Beattie said record-low inflows to dams had left his government with no alternative but to dump plans for a public referendum on the issue intended for March.

าThe reality is at the moment we have no choice, we have to provide people with water,ำ he said.

าItีs not like we are part of a freak show - the rest of the world is doing this,ำ he said, referring to residents in Singapore, London, Washington and southern California, whom he said drank recycled water.

Much of Australia is enduring what has been described as the worst drought in a century and most major cities already have water restrictions in place.

Beattieีs move was greeted with resignation by anti-recycling campaigner Clive Berghofer, the former mayor of the drought-stricken southeastern town of Toowoomba, whose residents rejected recycled water in a referendum last July.

Berghofer said the move would ruin the cityีs clean and green image, and the use of recycled water in agriculture would damage the regionีs economy.

าA lot of our food is exported, and the Japanese especially are particular about these things. People donีt realise the implications of doing these things,ำ he said.

Berghofer also questioned the safety of drinking treated sewage, saying there were many chemicals that could still not be detected.