Monday, October 22, 2007

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, or 'Water On My Mind'

I'm just another sad guest
on this dark earth

I want to believe
in the mercy of the world again
Make it rain, make it rain!

-Tom Waits, "Make It Rain"

From The Future Is Drying Up, the excellent cover story in this week's New York Times Magazine on water shortages, water-sharing agreements and the overall management of water, scientist Richard Seager says, “You can’t call it a drought anymore, because it’s going over to a drier climate. No one says the Sahara is in drought.”

In the news, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue wants President Bush to declare 85 counties in north Georgia as federal disaster areas as water resources are at an alarmingly low level. Meanwhile, an Army Corps of Engineers official disagrees with his assessment. Regardless of who's right, one can't help but be bothered by photos of Georgia's much drier than usual Lake Lanier. And with water-sharing agreements, millions of gallons of water continue to be released downstream to southern neighbor Florida where, unlike Georgia, residents are not under water restriction.

1 comment:

Sara Sue said...

As my state quickly burns, this post almost made me cry.