Drought forces people to shower at gyms as homes run out of water

As we swelter through the driest 12 months on record, households are forced to extreme measures for simple tasks such as showering, flushing the toilet and even cleaning their teeth.

Desperate residents whose tanks are running dry are showering in nearby gyms, brushing their teeth at schools and using boxed to flush their toilets as water carting businesses struggle to keep up with demand caused by the state’s record-breaking drought.

Water carriers say many residents have been caught out by the lack of rain and have urged them to check their tanks early and regularly to avoid running out of water as delivery wait times blow out to up to two months in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula.

Victor Harbor-based carrier Jamie Solly said he had never before seen such a high demand for water deliveries in his 18 years in the industry, especially in the

“Just the sheer number of people calling us... everyone is running out at the same time,” Mr Solly said.

“There are people who have run out that I can’t get to for a few days who are going to the gym or to the homes of their family and friends (to access water).

“I had one lady whose kids had to go to school to brush their teeth because they had absolutely no water.

“I haven’t actually heard of anyone who has moved out yet but I’ve heard plenty of stories of people using casks of water to live off, basically for everything – even flushing the toilet.”

Mr Solly said on a usual year his company, which had recently hired an extra driver, might deliver 20-30 loads a week. This year, his drivers were delivering about 15 loads a day.

“I’ve got people who have been on their farms for 40 years and that never bought water in their lives that have run out,” he said.

“And it’s not just one load that we’re talking about. People that I have done Christmas or pre-Christmas are already on their second or third load of water. Not many people I have spoken to haven’t filled their rainwater tanks this year.”

The Advertiser reported on Friday that much of South Australia, including most of its prime agricultural areas, was in the midst of its driest 12-month spell on record.

Mr Solly said he was attempting to triage customers to ensure the most urgent needs were met first but urged customers to be patient with both him and other water carriers.

“There’s a lot of guys that are doing this that are busting their hump to get water to everybody,” he said.

South Australia is in the midst of its driest 12 months on record.

“There’s quite a number of people I’m finding that aren’t very accommodating – they don’t like the inconvenience of not having water.

“It’s a horrible thing not to have the water, but trust me, anyone who’s carting it at the moment is putting in 110 per cent into what they’re doing just to try to get to as many people as we can.”

Adelaide Hills Bulk Spring Water Supply owner Kate Palmrose and her husband Richard have a similar message for customers after also being overwhelmed with demand.

“People won’t take responsibility for their water supply,” Ms Palmrose said. “There hasn’t been rain for a long time but people don’t seem to check their tanks. And then, when they run out, you know, it’s all my problem, because I can’t send them a truck right now.”

Ms Palmrose said the couple had also employed an extra driver but wait times for customers had blown out from 7-10 days to about two months.

Originally published as Drought forces people to shower at gyms as homes run out of water