More than a week has passed since the jaw-dropping Lijian 2o19 exercise.
However, this did not calm the undercurrent of the world.
Australia, Queensland, Mount Howit.
It is located in southwestern Queensland, in the Great Artesian Basin on the west side of the Great Dividing Range.
Barton is a local farmer. His farm mainly raises beef cattle and turkeys. In previous years, he should have been enjoying life in the villa on the farm.
It's a pity that he is in big trouble this year.
"Shet! The damn trade war! And the damn weather!"
Patton was driving a small truck converted into a water tanker, cursing as he drove.
The Cooper River near his farm has dried up so much that he now has to go to Lake Yamayama, 47 kilometers away, to get water.
Of course, he actually has another option, which is to dig a deep well. The problem is that Tu'ao's management of underground water extraction is very strict. When his application is approved, the cattle on the farm will probably be sent to see God due to drought.
As for illegal mining, just think about it. Once you are caught, you will not only go to jail, but you may also be fined or even bankrupt.
Along the way, there were many farmers like Barton who went to Lake Yamayama to fetch water.
The bumpy roads were filled with dust. Although July was winter in the Tu'ao region, Queensland's latitude was relatively low and the weather was not too cold.
The large farms and grasslands on both sides of the road are showing continuous yellowing. This is not due to winter, but to drought.
Many kangaroos were listlessly on the grass, looking for some green plants to replenish their water. However, in the vast expanse of withered yellow, the only green ones were the standing cacti.
Facing these cacti with thorns all over their bodies, except for camels, which can swallow them, other animals can only stay away.
After trekking 47 kilometers, Patton's pickup truck finally arrived at Lake Yamayama. There were already three farmers pumping water with pumps by the lake.
"Hi! Barton!"
"Wilson, didn't you apply for a well?" Barton asked in surprise.
"Forget it, the three wells we drilled all came out with salt water. I don't want to drill them," Wilson, dressed as a cowboy, complained.
Barton, who suddenly threw the water pipe into the lake, looked at the lake and his feet, frowned, turned his head and asked uncertainly:
"Wilson, have you noticed that the water level of the lake has dropped a lot?"
"You just discovered it? Have you seen that wooden stick?" Wilson pointed to a wooden stick about 5 meters away from the water line and said: "This is what I used to test the softness of the soil a week ago. A week ago, the water level was at
Near the stick."
Hearing the news, Barton looked grim. The entire Yamayama Lake was oval in shape, with an area of about 450 square kilometers and a water storage capacity of about 160 million cubic meters.
Moreover, this water storage capacity refers to the wet season. The current water storage capacity of Lake Yamayama is probably less than 100 million cubic meters.
If the water level drops at this rate, the water in the entire Yamayama Lake is estimated to not be able to sustain it for two months.
Not only is the weather dry and water evaporation is increasing, but farmers like them are constantly pumping water to maintain their farms.
If it doesn't rain again, Lake Yamayama may really dry up.
Farmers are worried as less and less fresh water is being transported through the Great Dividing Range's eastern aqueduct.
What should we do? If this continues, all the livestock on the farm will die due to lack of water.
Suddenly three pickup trucks carrying billows of dust drove towards the lake.
"Isn't this someone from the town government?"
"It seems to be Mayor Wood."
Several farmers started whispering.
The Mayor Wood they said was coming to the farmers with five or six people.
"Barton, Wilson...good afternoon!" Mayor Wood greeted with a smile.
Although Barton didn't like this fat guy, he still smiled and replied: "Hello!"
"What kind of wind brings our strong Mayor Wood here?" Wilson joked.
Wood did not show anger at the ridicule and dislike of these farmers, but instead looked sad: "There is bad news."
After speaking, Mayor Wood waved to the people who followed him.
The five or six people immediately took action and placed a bulletin board by the lake.
Barton and the others walked over and took a look, and immediately began to curse.
"Fake Squid!"
"Oh Maika! How could you do this!"
"Wood, do you know that our farm is currently facing a serious water shortage?"
One of the angry farmers grabbed Mayor Wood by the collar and shouted loudly: "Are you planning to bankrupt my farm?"
"Calm down George! This is not what I meant. Even if you beat me to death, you can't change this fact. This is the decision of the state government." Mayor Wood said innocently.
Others were also quickly separated by the two. If someone was really killed, George would definitely be unlucky.
However, not everyone can exercise restraint, especially since most of the farmers in Tu'ao own guns.
As a result, ranchers shot and attacked officials in three places, resulting in bloody incidents that killed 5 people and injured 11 others.
Although officials in Tu'ao have continuously explained the situation to farmers, people are selfish and it is obviously impossible to get them to accept the water restriction order.
Conflicts caused by water restrictions continue to break out in many places in Tu'ao and Macao, causing many bloody incidents.
The ongoing drought has made Tu'ao feel distressed, and many farmers have even joined forces to sue for water restrictions.
If Tu'ao is making a fuss over the water restriction order, then Tianzhu doesn't have to worry about it, because now the entire Deccan Plateau is almost scorched, and many rivers have dried up. Without water, there is no need to restrict it.
.
Even their mother river, the Ganges, has experienced a serious decline in flow.
A large number of farmland withered due to drought. As a last resort, Tianzhu could only resort to drinking poison to quench thirst and frantically exploited groundwater to alleviate the drought.
Although this can lead to a decrease in the groundwater level, they can only solve the immediate problem first, and will discuss the issue of the decrease in the groundwater level later.
Considering the future, Tianzhu has sent a negotiation team to Dongyin Water Group, hoping to purchase a desalination plant.
"Balaha! This time we go to negotiate. I hope you can strive for technical authorization." Nikalai, Minister of Tianzhu Water Resources, ordered the leader of the negotiation team.
Baraja said with some embarrassment: "Mr. Minister, this technical authorization matter is probably very difficult."
"We have to keep talking about the difficulties. It is impossible for us to hand over water to a foreign company, not to mention that this company belongs to the Eastern Tang Dynasty." Nikalai said firmly.
"..." Balaha suddenly became speechless. Unless Dongyin Water Group's head was filled with water, there would be no such thing as technical licensing.
Perhaps knowing that the request just now was a bit too much, Nikale made another request: "If the technical authorization cannot be obtained, at least a five-year reserve of seawater desalination membranes must be obtained."
"Okay! I will try my best to negotiate with them." Baraja reluctantly agreed.
"By the way, if the other party's asking price is very high, we must lower the price and ask for installment payment." Nikale added.
"..." Baraja was completely speechless.
Damn it, you put so many conditions, how can you be sure that others will agree to these conditions? He suddenly felt that life was like the curry-scented smog in New Delhi.