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Adani does not have a water permit of sufficient capacity to supply the initial construction phase of the Carmichael Coal Project, based on its own modeling of water consumption.
The company has repeatedly stated that it is "ready to start" building the mine and has publicly sought to accuse the Queensland government of delaying approval of the necessary management plans.
Environmental groups, however, believe that the lack of capacity of the company's water permits is proof that its claims that it is ready are false and are designed to increase political pressure on decision-makers.
Publicly available information from the Queensland Government indicates that Mr. Adani holds two short-term water licenses for Mistake Creek and the Belyando River, which expire in April and June of this year.
These permits allow the company to combine 1775 megalitres of water.
Documents published under freedom of information laws show that Adani has done its own modeling, conducted by consultant CDM Smith, estimates that the Carmichael mine will require 3358ML in the first year of construction.
Carmel Flint, of the Lock the Gate environmental group, said the new information suggested that Mr. Adani "does not have the necessary water permits to build the mine, which is further evidence that his claims are ready to be started.
"It is clear that Adani created a false urgency for approvals in the run-up to the election, and the company got exactly what it wanted: a rushed Scott Morrison government approval, tainted of political interference, "Flint said.
In a statement, Adani said he had the necessary water permits "for mining operations" but did not specifically address the construction phase of the project.
"It is common for large projects to regularly update their permits and licenses for their on-site and off-site construction and operation activities. In this process, Adani Mining expects to be treated like any other Queensland mining company. "
Adani said that there were other potential water sources for the mine site, including groundwater, rainwater and recycled water.
The former general manager of the Queensland Government's water allocation and planning, Tom Crothers, said that if Adani could access the water without an additional permit, this would not would be "just a puddle of water" and "not close enough" to fill the gap.
Adani says it is ready to begin construction of the Carmichael Coal Mine, making this project a major issue for the election campaign.
Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price approved Adani's groundwater plans in the days leading up to the government's interim entry.
The approval allowed NLP politicians and Queensland candidates to argue that the project was delayed by the state's Labor Government, as the major management plans still required state approval.
In this context, Adani has intensified its pressure by intensifying an advertising campaign including billboards, print ads and mailboxes, which are attacking the Queensland government for "moving the goals".
Adani told Guardian Australia in March: "We do not do political advertising.
"The goal of our communication campaign is to inform the people of Queensland about the real status of our project."
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