Queensland has shifted to level 5 water restrictions for Brisbane and south-east Queensland-- roughly equivalent to Melbourne's stage 3. The difference between the previous level of restrictions (2, 3, 4) and level 5 restrictions, which come into force today, is that the effort to reduce consumption has shifted the focus from the garden and washing the car and driveway to cutting down the using water inside people's homes.

Sean Leahy

Queensland Water Commission's aim is to cut household water use from the current 180 litres a day to 140 litres a day. It suggests cutting the average seven-minute shower to four.

That scarcity means increased prices for water. The scarcity value of water should be reflected in tmost users facing higher charges for some of their consumption. So why is urban water is controlled through restrictions and not the market? Why are Queenslanders be told how much water to use?

The longer term solution is investing in water efficiency and the reuse of wastewater by households.That means starting to rethink the way we run and construct our houses.

Another implication of the scarcity of water is the depletion of the availability of hydro-electricity from the major generators in the Victorian and NSW alps, as well as in Tasmania. Hydro power requires water to generate electricity. Victorian and NSW do not have the water to run the generators. Since power is generated from more expensive sources that means increasing power bills. Time for households to invest in solar power.