![Letter | Why aren't we more angry about city's water failures? Letter | Why aren't we more angry about city's water failures?](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/301af437-7366-4602-a825-10bd82935878.jpg/r0_2_1101_672_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
WE live in strange times.
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Public figures used to be held accountable for poor policy decisions and wasting public funds - our money.
Now they either ignore us or spin out a non-answer.
For example, Sydney light rail cost overrun $1.3 billion. Sydney City Metro line cost overrun $3 billion. The premier refused to answer in parliament when challenged.
The $100 million federal sports rort scandal, and we're unable to get the full story out.
Snowy 2.0 started as a $2 billion project over four years and is now projected to cost $5 billion and take eight years, with questionable results.
When I look at the local scene I see councillors congratulating each other on their handling of the Bathurst water crisis.
Fifty per cent of them opposed even the original mild water restrictions, yet they oversaw extreme water restrictions with a dam hovering below 30 per cent and projections of a complete failure supply.
This water crisis was years in the making and happened on their watch over the past four years.
Nobody could be blind to the surrounding drought over the past few years with less rainfall and dwindling water supplies. At least one councillor has called out the lack of timely political leadership to let this develop.
We know there is no long-term plan in place to secure our water supply for many years into the future.
Water and the acute issues around it with drier seasons are not going to go away if this city is to develop and maintain our first-world lifestyle.
There are no scoping projects of recycling water to drinking level like overseas, or increased dam storage.
Infrastructure has not kept pace with this city's development and demand for water.
With the ever-increasing threat of coronavirus (COVID-19), water takes on a new dimension as to mitigate and survive this virus we cannot be without a healthy water supply. It is one of the key measures to maintain public health.
To conclude, when we see public funds wasted, endless spin, mediocre policy outcomes and lack of leadership, what does it take for the public to get upset, vote public figures out and accept it does not have to be like this?