THE short-listing of Melbourne’s Yarra River for the International Riverprize, billed as the “world’s most prestigious environmental prize”, just goes to highlight how farcical the debate over river health has become.
The National Irrigators’ Council said while the Yarra is being lauded as among the world’s best, the Murray-Darling Basin – which has more water available for environmental flows – is said to be in “crisis” and need of “saving”.
“For all the hand-wringing over the health of the Murray-Darling, it’s salient to remember that it has 58 per cent of flows available to the environment[1], while the Yarra has only 57 per cent,[2]” said NIC CEO Danny O’Brien.
“Yet management of the Yarra is now short-listed for an award while irrigators and their communities are facing the prospect of massive withdrawals of water for consumptive purposes in the Murray Darling. How can this be?”
Mr O’Brien said NIC was not suggesting major problems in the Yarra – and congratulated Melbourne Water for the improvements in river health – but noted that there appeared to be a double standard operating between city and country.
“We all want a healthy river system – irrigators rely on it more than most – but we have to get this into perspective. We support water being returned to the Murray-Darling through voluntary buybacks but it has to be in balance with the interests of basin communities and food and fibre production.
“I’m sure Melburnians would agree if they were faced with water cuts from the Yarra of up to 50 per cent like some of their counter-parts in the MDB.”
Mr O’Brien also noted that increased environmental flows were not a feature of any of the three short-listed finalists for the Riverprize.
“We have long argued that river health is a complex beast and water alone will not fix the problem. There must be integrated catchment management to address issues such as riparian vegetation, alien fish species, pollution and noxious weeds.
“We note that the reasons the Yarra has been short-listed include ‘better environmental laws, diversion of waste, restoring riverbanks and reduced stormwater pollution’.
“Let’s hope our government’s heed the lesson and don’t try to fix the Murray-Darling simply by taking water from Basin communities and expecting that will work.”
This is a media release from the National Irrigators Council.
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[1] MDBA, Guide to the Proposed Basin Plan, Vol 1, pg XXIII
[2] Vic DSE, Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy, pg 22
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
This one really does outline how absurd it has all become.
I agree that Melbourne should be congratulated for the work they have done on the Yarra.
I can clearly remember when it was almost possible to walk on it because it was so very dirty.
However, Danny is right. There are some serious double standards operating here.
I am also sure our counterparts in Melbourne would be just as outraged if they were to have their water access interfered with.
Congratulations, yet another beautifully balanced and unbiased article to feature!!!!
The Wentworth Group must have been criticising current MDB plans in AM which I missed, however Craig Knowles answered them at TWT:
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2011/s3258657.htm
Interesting terminology ? Adaptive management ? Of course it’s a management issue. It always was. Attempting to come up with a definitive number using long term averages is just plain silly! Our highly variable climate and our river systems have no respect whatsover for long term averages, never have and are not likely to in the forseeable future. Maybe someone should ask the Wentworth group why they think the regulatory systems (including the barrages)were built in the first place?
As Craig Knowles infers in this interview, updated information has changed the conclusions. The science is helpful but the real issue is the management stategies and also the ability to adapt when our highly variable climate either turns on or turns off the inflows.
As Danny points out, river health is a very complex beast in Australia.
The last 12 months have proved that our natural ephemeral water assets are more than capable of surviving a prolonged drought. It’s actually us humans who are having trouble.
It would be nice if we could start focusing on the real problems, learn the lessons that the drought has taught us and then we could start using the right management techniques to solve them!
The dire predictions from the Wentworth Group did not eventuate and their solution which was to corral more water and flush it out to sea, is obviously not a good solution in current circumstances.
It’s not an environmentally good solution under nearly all circumstances! It only has a bit of merit in a run of average years, whatever that is in a system like the M D B.