A group of scientists finds despite billions of dollars spent on the Murray Darling Basin Plan, many of the indicators used to measure whether the environment is receiving enough water have been getting worse.
The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists' study has found the bare minimum flow requirements thought to be needed to keep key environments alive are not being met across much of the basin — and the situation has worsened since the $13 billion plan was introduced.
But only about one-quarter of the minimum flow requirements analysed in the study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, were met in the past 10 years. But by February, the Dharriwaa wetlands, including Narran Lake and Clear Lake, were shrinking in the hot summer sun. Dr Steinfeld, from the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, said it was an example of the sort of thing that could be achieved by focusing on EWRs.
Over the past decade, neither of those EWRs were met, which the scientists say likely contributed to the scale of the disaster in 2019. "That decline shows that while the Basin Plan has had some positive effects in localised areas, they are being dwarfed by the overwhelming force of a legacy of over-extraction, current challenges with mismanagement of water and the failure to properly account for climate change," Dr Steinfeld says."The Basin plan is really important, and essentially we've got to make sure we deliver all of that water," he says.
The scientists say EWRs should be turned into a kind of traffic-light system, where irrigators can only take water after those minimum flows have been achieved. "If you were to operationalise these EWRs into river management and extraction rules, you will shut down irrigated agriculture across the basin, and that's $8 billion worth of production," says Claire Miller, chief executive of the NSW Irrigators Council.She says the focus on volumes of water in the river and flows is one-eyed, and more attention needs to be paid to other causes of poor water quality like invasive carp.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Greens reject Labor’s changes to Murray Darling Basin PlanThe Greens will not support the government’s planned changes to the Murray Darling Basin Plan. Instead, the party will refer the legislation to a Senate inquiry. The Greens claim these changes fail to provide assurances water will be delivered to South Australia.
Read more »
Greens won't support revised Murray Darling Basin Plan in current formThe party is crucial to the revised plan's passage through the Senate, but it says there are still not enough guarantees around the return of water to the environment.
Read more »
Greens threaten to block Murray-Darling Basin plan changes over water recovery failureSarah Hanson-Young seeks assurance all water for the environment will be recovered as Nationals call for an inquiry to visit regional communities
Read more »
No ‘guarantees’: Greens MP opposes government’s Murray–Darling Basin planGreens Environment Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young has criticised the Labor government’s Murray–Darling Basin plan for having “no guarantees”. “We’re being asked to kick the can down the road – I want some guarantees in the legislation,” Ms Hanson-Young told Sky News Australia.
Read more »
Murray-Darling Basin legislation has ‘something for everyone’ on both sides of politicsEnvironment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek argues the government must save the Murray-Darling Basin Plan for the environment and the communities. Ms Plibersek’s comments come as the Greens call for significant amendments to the proposed legislation. “This has got something for everyone and it’s the only way we deliver the plan,” Ms Plibersek told Sky News Australia.
Read more »