Big Rain

Turtle crossing a flooded road. Pic: Brisbane Times

Heard on the news that massive amounts of rain are falling in Queensland causing serious flooding in some areas. I saw some footage that showed water flowing like a river through the streets, partially submerged homes and cars. Malaysians reading this are probably going " Bleh.. we have that here a couple of times a year. Nothing special."

Well over here, while noting that flooding is a tragedy to the home and car owners affected, the state authorities are about to pop the champagne bottle to celebrate this blessing of water especially since Brisbane has been on a severe water restriction programme since last year. The champagne is currently on ice ready to be popped but won't be unless the dams hit 40% in the next few days.

I repeat, the dam is less than 40% filled. In Canberra, the situation is no better with the dam only 47% filled. Yet this is a cause for celebration because the country has seen worse water shortages in the past 12 months. I'm thankful for the bountiful supply of water available in Malaysia.

The clouds moved south to Canberra today.

cheryl