Post by Flash on Sept 20, 2007 11:51:43 GMT -5
tchell | September 21, 2007
JOHN Howard has declared the water shortage in the nation's food bowl a crisis, with experts fearing widespread losses of permanent crop plantings, increased salinity levels, algal blooms, and massive numbers of fish deaths.
The Prime Minister yesterday warned record low water levels in the parched Murray-Darling system could fall even further next year. And he demanded additional measures to deal with the crisis, including the creation of a reserve of water to sustain cities and towns along the Murray next year, particularly Adelaide.
"The situation is far worse than any of us would have hoped a few months ago," Mr Howard told parliament. "We all thought when there was some rain in June that the drought might break and the Murray-Darling might be saved. Tragically, that has not occurred."
In mid-April, Mr Howard proposed a $10 billion takeover of the Murray-Darling river system to tackle an "unprecedentedly dangerous situation". He warned irrigation farmers in the basin - covering crops from oranges to grapes and rice - would have their water allocations cut to zero unless the catchment received "very substantial" rainfall in following weeks. The rain has failed to materialise, with Mr Howard saying yesterday it was not an exaggeration to call the situation a crisis.
At the end of last month there was 1500 gigalitres of water available in the system - less than a third of the normal amount available of 4600GL.
Inflows and storages in the Murray-Darling system have never been so low and irrigators have received little if any water for crops and permanent plantings this season.
Measures have already been taken to cut off some wetlands from the river system, and to dramatically reduce flows.
But more needs to be done, according to the third Murray-Darling Basin Dry Inflow Overview report released by the Prime Minister yesterday.
The report, written by officials from each basin jurisdiction, says permanent plantings of grapes, citrus, fruit and nuts have already started to die due to a lack of water - and further plant losses will be widespread.
Salinity, as well as extensive pruning to save plantings, is likely to hamper plant growth for years.
"The 2007-08 water availability outlook for the southern basin system is serious and has deteriorated through August," it says.
Mr Howard pleaded with Victorian Premier John Brumby to end his "selfish state parochialism" and come on board with other basin states, to agree to investigate a collective water reserve and additional measures.
Mr Brumby said yesterday Victoria would not agree to taking water off irrigators this season to establish a water reserve for next year, which would be used for water quality in Adelaide. "Our irrigators are already facing enormous pressure with water allocations at record lows," a spokeswoman for Mr Brumby said. "The Prime Minister needs to explain to Victorian irrigators why it is a good idea to deny them crucial water allocations this year in case they need it for South Australian water quality flows next year."
South Australia said Victoria's support of irrigation over human critical need did not make sense.
Mr Howard said the crisis needed a co-operative spirit. "We will solve this only as Australians and we have to share the pain as Australians."
From July to August, rainfall was below average across much of the basin and the effects of low rainfall were exacerbated by high temperatures and strong winds.
The new report recommends governments consider making arrangements to set up a "collective reserve" to ensure there is sufficient water for next summer, and to deal with the expected increased salinity and algal blooms that occur with low flows.
It is unclear how large the reserve would be, or where the water would come from. It also recommends South Australia be permitted to store water for next year in NSW and Victorian storages, and that water trading be used to ease the effects of shortages.
South Australian Water Security Minister Karlene Maywald said yesterday that in dry years Adelaide drew 90 per cent of its water from the Murray and it would be very difficult to supply water to people if there was none flowing down the system.
Additional reporting: John Wiseman
JOHN Howard has declared the water shortage in the nation's food bowl a crisis, with experts fearing widespread losses of permanent crop plantings, increased salinity levels, algal blooms, and massive numbers of fish deaths.
The Prime Minister yesterday warned record low water levels in the parched Murray-Darling system could fall even further next year. And he demanded additional measures to deal with the crisis, including the creation of a reserve of water to sustain cities and towns along the Murray next year, particularly Adelaide.
"The situation is far worse than any of us would have hoped a few months ago," Mr Howard told parliament. "We all thought when there was some rain in June that the drought might break and the Murray-Darling might be saved. Tragically, that has not occurred."
In mid-April, Mr Howard proposed a $10 billion takeover of the Murray-Darling river system to tackle an "unprecedentedly dangerous situation". He warned irrigation farmers in the basin - covering crops from oranges to grapes and rice - would have their water allocations cut to zero unless the catchment received "very substantial" rainfall in following weeks. The rain has failed to materialise, with Mr Howard saying yesterday it was not an exaggeration to call the situation a crisis.
At the end of last month there was 1500 gigalitres of water available in the system - less than a third of the normal amount available of 4600GL.
Inflows and storages in the Murray-Darling system have never been so low and irrigators have received little if any water for crops and permanent plantings this season.
Measures have already been taken to cut off some wetlands from the river system, and to dramatically reduce flows.
But more needs to be done, according to the third Murray-Darling Basin Dry Inflow Overview report released by the Prime Minister yesterday.
The report, written by officials from each basin jurisdiction, says permanent plantings of grapes, citrus, fruit and nuts have already started to die due to a lack of water - and further plant losses will be widespread.
Salinity, as well as extensive pruning to save plantings, is likely to hamper plant growth for years.
"The 2007-08 water availability outlook for the southern basin system is serious and has deteriorated through August," it says.
Mr Howard pleaded with Victorian Premier John Brumby to end his "selfish state parochialism" and come on board with other basin states, to agree to investigate a collective water reserve and additional measures.
Mr Brumby said yesterday Victoria would not agree to taking water off irrigators this season to establish a water reserve for next year, which would be used for water quality in Adelaide. "Our irrigators are already facing enormous pressure with water allocations at record lows," a spokeswoman for Mr Brumby said. "The Prime Minister needs to explain to Victorian irrigators why it is a good idea to deny them crucial water allocations this year in case they need it for South Australian water quality flows next year."
South Australia said Victoria's support of irrigation over human critical need did not make sense.
Mr Howard said the crisis needed a co-operative spirit. "We will solve this only as Australians and we have to share the pain as Australians."
From July to August, rainfall was below average across much of the basin and the effects of low rainfall were exacerbated by high temperatures and strong winds.
The new report recommends governments consider making arrangements to set up a "collective reserve" to ensure there is sufficient water for next summer, and to deal with the expected increased salinity and algal blooms that occur with low flows.
It is unclear how large the reserve would be, or where the water would come from. It also recommends South Australia be permitted to store water for next year in NSW and Victorian storages, and that water trading be used to ease the effects of shortages.
South Australian Water Security Minister Karlene Maywald said yesterday that in dry years Adelaide drew 90 per cent of its water from the Murray and it would be very difficult to supply water to people if there was none flowing down the system.
Additional reporting: John Wiseman