Brisbane Mayor fears ‘nightmare’ water crisis for 2032 Olympics

It’s 2032 and Brisbane is in the grip of a bad dry spell. There are strict water restrictions and Olympics media are telling the world of a city without water. This is what Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner fears could become reality.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner will deliver an impassioned plea for urgent water security policy, detailing his “nightmare scenario” of Brisbane being forced into crippling restrictions as the world’s media descends on the region for the 2032 Olympic Games.

As one of the architects who helped secure the Games, the Liberal-National Party-aligned leader said he fears governments will do nothing in the next decade on climate change “despite all the talk” and the city will be in the grips of severe water sparsity.

Mr Schrinner, in a speech to the OzWater conference on Tuesday, will call on immediate infrastructure to secure water availability fearing a spell as devastating as the Millennium Drought from the early 2000s.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner fears the Brisbane Olympics could be marred by strict water restrictions. Picture: Lachie Millard

He warns the environmental issue will be compounded by the city population potentially soaring by another million inhabitants.

“Just imagine this,” the Lord Mayor will say. “It’s 2032 and Brisbane is in the grip of a really bad dry spell.

“Yet, despite all the talk about climate change, nothing has been done to improve our water security.

“Not a damn thing.”

Mr Schrinner will say he fears the city will still be reliant on insufficient infrastructure “built in a mad rush during the Millennium Drought” when dam levels fell 20 per cent.

“My nightmare gets worse,” he will say.

“Games organisers are being forced to warn visitors to severely restrict their water use — some bright spark thought a nice nostalgic touch would be to hand out those eggtimers that were used during the Millennium Drought so people limit their time in the shower.

“The world’s best athletes are in town and we’re telling them to wash quickly after they compete.

“The world’s media are in town and they’re telling a global audience about a city without water.”

The Lord Mayor said current policy relied on projections that new water sources won’t be needed until 2040 but Mr Schrinner will declare “things can change quickly”.

“We should do better. We have to do better. And the Olympic Games can be the impetus that ensures we do do better,” he will say.

“Whether it’s a dam or desalination or – dare I say it – recycled water, this is a conversation that Southeast Queensland has to have.

“Water infrastructure takes years to properly plan.

“If we’re going to make water security a goal for the 2032 Games, we need to start the discussion.”