The North-South Water Pipeline for Australia - Research Paper Example

THE NORTH-SOUTH WATER PIPELINE FOR AUSTRALIA (Student Name) (Institution) (Course Number) (Date) Table of Contents Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4 Establish the context 5 AS/NZS 4360 Framework Management 7 Risk Identification 9 Risk Analysis 11 Methodology 12 Consequence Measurement 12 Risk Evaluation 13 Reliability of the Data 13 Risk Categorization 14 Risk Treatment Plans 14 Conclusion 15 References 16 List of Tables Table 1: Identified risks……………………………………………..…………………….8 Table 2: consequence measurement………………………………..…………………….11 Table 3: Likelihood measurement……………………………………..…………………12 Table 4: Risk categorization………………………………………….………………….13 Table 5: Risk Treatment…………………………………………………………………..14. List of Figures Figure 1: AS/NZS Framework…………………………………………………………….7 Executive Summary The North-South water pipeline for Australia is one of the largest water projects that the country has developed to curb its water scarcity challenges. Australia, which is generally dry, has climatic variations in the northern and the southern regions, with the southern region receiving many incidents of drought while the northern region is characterized by flooding. This difference has led to the development of the idea of transportation of water from northern Australia to southern Australia under the North- South water pipeline project. This study involves the use of the AS/NZS framework to analyze the risks associated with this massive project. The risks that are likely to be associated with the project were identified and listed. The risk elements were assessed using the data collected from the constructors and the information used in the categorization of the risks. Introduction The North-South water pipeline for Australia is an important developmental project aimed at transporting water from the northern parts of Australia to the south. The pipeline, initially known as the Sugarloaf pipeline, is a 70 kilometer pipe intended to carry water from the Goulburn River to the Sugarloaf Reservoir, a water storage reservoir located in Melbourne. The pipeline, which is currently unoperational, is intended to supply drinking water to the southern regions of Australia, which are characterized by low rainfall and increased drought incidents. The water pipeline can also be used in the provision of water needed for local fire -fighting operations. The water to be used by the pipeline connecting Northern Australia to the Southern part of the country comes from the Eildon Reservoir and is released into the Goulburn River, where it is pumped 70 kilometers across the land to Melbourne. The water then flows to the Sugarloaf Reservoir in Melbourne where it mixes with water from Maroondah and Yarra catchment areas. The quality of water in the Sugarloaf storage tank is not safe for drinking, requiring the water to undergo treatment before being supplied for drinking to the Australian population (Low et al., 2010, 3-14). The water stored in the Sugarloaf storage reservoir undergoes treatment to meet the required drinking water guidelines at the Winneke Water Treatment Plant. The water is the fed to the smaller reservoirs that supply water to other regions of the city. According to the Victorian Government, the water supplied by the North-South Pipeline for storage in the Sugarloaf Reservoir in Melbourne can only be used in instances of critical human need, and works together with the state government to ensure that the policy is strongly upheld. In Melbourne for instance, the critical human need for water occurs when the storage levels of water drops to 30%, and this occurs mostly in November. With water management being a controversial issue in Australia, the North-South pipeline is expected to help in curbing this problem. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the risks involved in the North-South Australian water pipeline using the AS/NZS framework. Establish the context The northern and southern parts of Australia experience different weather conditions, causing a huge difference in water availability between the two regions. While farmers in the southern part of Australia experience droughts adversely affecting their farm produce, cities and towns in the north commonly experience flooding due to excessive amounts of rainfall. The droughts in the southern parts of Australia are commonly attributed to human induced climate change such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels (Radcliffe, 2015, p. 554-562, White, 2012, p. 1-5). According to the Australian climate change research, the climatic patterns in the southern parts are likely to persist resulting in increased water scarcity in these regions (Zetland, 2011, p. 189, Uitto and Shaw, 2016, p. 186). The climatic predictions, together with the existing water pipelines across the country has led to the proposal of the idea of water transportation from Northern Australia to Southern Australia using the pipelines. Furthermore, the terrain in much of the northern part of Australia is gently undulating and presents few opportunities for water storage mechanisms such as the dams. To increase the water supplies to the south and reduce chances of water storage reservoirs in the south reaching below 30%, the Victorian Government released its water plan called “Our water our future” in 2007. The main aim of this plan was to construct a seawater desalinization plant and a water pipeline to increase Melbourne’s water supply. The government forestalls that the completion of the pipeline and the desalinization plant will reduce the water restrictions in the country. The aim of this report is to identify, classify and treat the risks involved in the development of the North-South water pipeline for Australia. The report will also include the assessment of the factors leading to the occurrence of the risks and suggest possible mitigation measures to prevent the occurrence of the risks. Furthermore, the report will include the use of the AS/NZS 4360 framework in the treatment of risks while providing recommendations for the prevention of occurrence of the risks. AS/NZS 4360 Framework Management Development is an important factor in any nation because it helps inanities increasing the gross domestic product as well as providing job opportunities to millions of jobless people. Development projects are also important in solving some of the acute problems faced by countries that threaten the existence of the human population. World over, there are many development projects that are taking place worth billions of shillings. The North-South water pipeline is among the developmental projects taking place in Australia, with the main aim of increasing the water supplies in the drier parts of southern Australia such as Melbourne. An important part of development is the assessment of the risks associated with the project in place. This is because a project may look advantageous at first sight, but can have adverse consequences later during its lifetime. Foretelling the future consequences of development projects is difficult, hence the need for risk management frameworks. Risk management helps in identification of risks and proposal of mitigation measures to prevent their occurrence. In Australia, the AS/NZS risk management framework is used in providing efficient methods of handling risks as well as ways of managing the risks (Standards Australia, 2009, p. 10-21). Fig 1: showing the AS/NZS Risk Management Framework. Source: AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 Risk Identification Risk identification involves the process of establishing the sources of risks, areas of impacts, events, their causes and possible consequences (O’ Donnell, 2005, p. 3). The main aim of the risk identification process is to provide a list of risks with regards to the events that are likely to enhance or degrade the achievement of goals. Identification of risks should also include determination of whether the causes of the risks are under the control of the responsible organization (Smallman, 1996, p, 12-26). For the North-South Water Pipeline project for Australia, significant risks associated with its construction and operation have been identified. These risks are likely to impact adversely on the population, hence the need to properly identify their sources to be able to determine the mitigation measures to be put in place. The table below gives the various risks associated with the pipeline. Table 1: showing the identified risks for the North-South Pipeline Project Risk Identified Explanation Cause Atmospheric Pollution The construction of the pipeline will involve the digging of trenches that release dust into the atmosphere hence altering the air quality. Smoke may also be released from the machinery used during the construction. Atmospheric pollution is associated with the digging as well as air pollutants released by the machines used in the construction process. Vegetation The construction of the water pipeline involves clearance of vegetation to provide space for further digging and installation of the pipes. This is likely to affect both plant and animal species in the area of construction, mainly because the animal species depend on the vegetation for survival Vegetation clearance can involve burning of the vegetation or cutting down of trees and slashing to pave way for the installation of the pipeline. Geology and terrain The construction of the pipeline is likely to have adverse effects on the geology and terrain of the area of construction. These can results in landslides and environmental and safety hazards. Geologic disturbances are likely to occur as a result of the heavy machinery and trucks used in construction. Noise The construction of the pipeline also involves the creation of noise that is likely to interfere with the people living around the construction site. Noise pollution is likely to be caused by the heavy machinery used in the construction that produce a lot of noise. Pipeline leaks and ruptures During the operation of the pipeline, there are likely to be instances of rupture of the pipeline which is likely to interfere with the quality of water. Pipeline rapture and leakage may be caused by the wearing out of the pipe due to long operational years. Wastes The construction and operation of the pipeline is likely to produce wastes, which may impact adversely on the water quality and The wastes for the pipeline are likely to come from the soil as well as the machinery used in the construction such as the compressor oil. Economic risks The construction of the water pipeline in Australia is likely to cost 750 billion US dollars, which is strenuous on the economy. Risk Analysis Risk analysis involves the process of developing a proper understanding of the risks associated with a project. It provides a basis for evaluation of the risks and determines whether or not the risks should be treated. Risk analysis also involves outlining the sources of risks and their consequences and the likelihood of occurrence of the risks. Risk analysis should also take into consideration the existing control measures (Fiegenbaum, 2003, p. 1-12). Methodology The North-South water pipeline project in Australia has not commenced following opposition from the different stakeholders such as the environmental groups and the local communities. As a result, the methodology used in the analysis of risks associated with this project is probability. In cases of uncertainty, the probability is the best method that can be used in predicting the outcomes and assessing the consequences of risks in such situations. In statistics, probability is used to determine the likelihood of occurrence of an event. The probability of occurrence of an event is given by the numbers 0 and 1 (Hayter, 2012, p. 1-10, Kerns, 2011, p. 1-4). The probability of 1 indicates the certainty of occurrence of an event while a probability of O indicates that the likelihood of occurrence of the event is nil. In cases where the events being analyzed are likely to occur in the future, the degree of belief probability is commonly used. Consequence Measurement Aside from measuring the likelihood of occurrence of risks in the North-South Australian water pipeline project. The probability is used in the measurement of the consequences of the risks. The risks are rated from 0 to 6 based on their severity, where 0 stands for insignificant risks while 6 stands for catastrophic consequences. The consequence measurement for the risks associated with the North-South Pipeline in Australia is represented in the figure below. Table 2: consequence measurements for the North-South pipeline Type Description Catastrophic The consequences would threaten the survival of the program, resulting in revenue losses > $ 7M, extreme political and financial consequences Major The consequences would threaten the survival of the program, require the intervention of the top management, revenue loss Read More

AS/NZS 4360 Framework Management

Development is an important factor in any nation because it helps inanities increasing the gross domestic product as well as providing job opportunities to millions of jobless people. Development projects are also important in solving some of the acute problems faced by countries that threaten the existence of the human population. World over, there are many development projects that are taking place worth billions of shillings. The North-South water pipeline is among the developmental projects taking place in Australia, with the main aim of increasing the water supplies in the drier parts of southern Australia such as Melbourne.

An important part of development is the assessment of the risks associated with the project in place. This is because a project may look advantageous at first sight, but can have adverse consequences later during its lifetime. Foretelling the future consequences of development projects is difficult, hence the need for risk management frameworks. Risk management helps in the identification of risks and the proposal of mitigation measures to prevent their occurrence.  In Australia, the AS/NZS risk management framework is used in providing efficient methods of handling risks as well as ways of managing the risks (Standards Australia, 2009, p. 10-21)

Risk Identification

Risk identification involves the process of establishing the sources of risks, areas of impacts, events, their causes, and possible consequences (O’ Donnell, 2005, p. 3). The main aim of the risk identification process is to provide a list of risks with regards to the events that are likely to enhance or degrade the achievement of goals. Identification of risks should also include the determination of whether the causes of the risks are under the control of the responsible organization (Smallman, 1996, p, 12-26).

For the North-South Water Pipeline project for Australia, significant risks associated with its construction and operation have been identified. These risks are likely to impact adversely on the population, hence the need to properly identify their sources to be able to determine the mitigation measures to be put in place. The table below gives the various risks associated with the pipeline.

Table 1: showing the identified risks for the North-South Pipeline Project

Atmospheric Pollution

Explanation: The construction of the pipeline will involve the digging of trenches that release dust into the atmosphere hence altering the air quality. Smoke may also be released from the machinery used during the construction.

Cause: Atmospheric pollution is associated with the digging as well as air pollutants released by the machines used in the construction process.

Vegetation

Explanation: The construction of the water pipeline involves the clearance of vegetation to provide space for further digging and installation of the pipes. This is likely to affect both plant and animal species in the area of construction, mainly because the animal species depend on the vegetation for survival

Cause: Vegetation clearance can involve burning of the vegetation or cutting down of trees and slashing to pave way for the installation of the pipeline.

Geology and terrain

Explanation: The construction of the pipeline is likely to have adverse effects on the geology and terrain of the area of construction.  These can result in landslides and environmental and safety hazards.

Cause: Geologic disturbances are likely to occur as a result of the heavy machinery and trucks used in construction.

Noise

Explanation: The construction of the pipeline also involves the creation of noise that is likely to interfere with the people living around the construction site.

Cause: Noise pollution is likely to be caused by the heavy machinery used in construction that produces a lot of noise.

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