Sydney: Authorities on Friday raised concerns about severe bushfires near Sydney's main drinking water catchment, suggesting that a build of ash could soon contaminate the precious resource.
Fire crews continued to battle blazes, which have almost entirely surrounded Lake Burragorang, which is responsible for supplying roughly 80 per cent of Sydney's drinking water via Warragamba Dam.
Professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New South Wales Stuart Khan said that there were two main risks to the water supply. Firstly, the fire would cause damage to infrastructure such as pumping stations and pipes, and, secondly, ash would wash into and pollute the water supply itself.
Meanwhile, Australian military specialists were being deployed to advise firefighters aimed at combating the blazing bushfires that have been wreaking havoc in the country since August, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday. Defence liaison officers of the Australian Defense Forces (ADF) would be deployed in all 14 incident control centres in New South Wales state, the worst-hit by the fires that could worsen in the next few days due to rising temperatures.
