Drying Murray-Darling Basin May Pit Aussie Farmers Against Government, Towns - SMH

[hatrack]

GOVERNMENTS will be forced to consider hoarding water to meet the needs of regional towns dependent on the Murray-Darling river system by the end of next year.

State and federal ministers released another bleak assessment of the future of the river system yesterday. They agreed to continue emergency measures first put in place in 2006 that mean water in the lower areas of the Murray-Darling will be used only for people rather than for agriculture and irrigation.

Although the river system contains enough water to meet the needs of towns for the rest of this year and the first half of next year, governments have been warned they may need to save water for the future. "Work is continuing on contingency planning in order to protect critical human needs for 2009-10 should inflows remain at or below record minimums through winter," the report says. "Governments would also need to consider how they would set aside water early to protect critical human needs for 2009-10."

Regional leaders are already concerned about the impact of the drought on their areas. The Mayor of Griffith, Dino Zappacosta, said the town was trapped in a "catch-22". "Ultimately the city needs to survive and it needs the water," Mr Zappacosta said. "But the farmers need the city and the city needs the farmers. What do you do?"

EDIT

http://www.smh.com.au/news/water-issues/its-town-against-farmer/2008/07/20/1216492255385.html

[jody]

1. "farmers need the city and the city needs the farmers"? No problem reduce both until they reach

equilibrium at a lower level based on sustainable water supply.