There is a farmer just south of here

who needs to do major repairs to a dam on his property. It holds water for his stock. He noticed structural damage some time ago and called in earthmoving experts. They told him they could not do the work without the necessary permit.
If the dam is not repaired there is a real danger it will break and flood the property below him. As a responsible person he wants the work done, for his own sake and that of his neighbour.
The problem is that he cannot get permission to do the work.
Everybody agrees he needs permission but nobody seems to know who is responsible, what forms he needs to fill out or who needs to sign them. At the same time he will be absolutely liable for any damage caused.
Around the corner from us they have just finished doing some work on one of the footpaths. New paving has gone down. The problem? They did not wait, as requested, until the house was demolished and the new one built. The residents of the street made the request but were told the work "could not be delayed". Whyever not? It would make sense. The paving in that section is inevitably going to be damaged.
This is bureaucracy at work. Things do not get done because nobody knows who should do them. Things do not get done in the order they should get done. There is often no good reason for it, just a failure to cooperate with one another.
I was once boarding at a house not far from where I now live. The department responsible for roads came along and repaved the road. Thankyou. Less than forty-eight hours later the department responsible for gas lines came along and dug up the road to lay a new gas lines. Work was wasted. Money was wasted.
All it would have taken would have been a little communication. That was pre-computer days. Now there should be even less excuse but these things still happen. Work schedules cannot be adjusted, even to save money and get the job done properly. Being seen to cooperate almost seems to be seen as a sign of weakness.
There is something very wrong with this attitude but I doubt it is going to change in a hurry.
I feel sorry for the farmer who wants to do the right thing. The delay in approval could be disastrous - and no public servant will be held responsible.