Chris Minns under pressure to improve flood mitigation policies

NSW Premier Chris Minns is facing pressure to prove he is sufficiently mitigating flooding risks as some residents along the Hawkesbury-Nepean River recover from a seventh flooding disaster in 18 months, reports NSW Political Reporter Julia Bradley. At the height of the torrential rain on Saturday, 80,000 Olympic swimming pools worth of water spilled from Warragamba Dam every hour, New South Wales’ biggest source of drinking water. The Premier is proposing a plan which would see Sydney’s desalination plant double its capacity while reducing Warragamba Dam’s maximum capacity. The proposal could help protect Sydney’s supply of drinking water while protecting residents living near the dam, from spillage. Meanwhile, the construction of new homes has been banned in flood-prone areas of New South Wales. The Minns government is also investing $200 million in improving evacuation routes and building flood levees.