MANY South Australians, and the Australian government, and the Murray Darling Basin Authority, claim that it is necessary to have barrages across the bottom of the Murray River because of the upstream irrigation industries [1]. There is no equivalent large-scale irrigation in Singapore, but they have barrages across the Marina channel. 
In Singapore, unlike Australia, the government freely admit that the barrages have dammed the estuary to create a freshwater reservoir. Such refreshing honesty.
Singapore is a tiny country with not much freshwater [2]. An official website explains [3]:
“Built across the mouth of the Marina Channel, the Marina Barrage creates Singapore’s 15th reservoir, and the first in the heart of the city. With a catchment area of 10,000 hectares, or one-sixth the size of Singapore, the Marina catchment is the island’s largest and most urbanised catchment. Together with two other new reservoirs, the Marina Reservoir increased Singapore’s water catchment from half to two-thirds of the country’s land area in 2011.”
“As the water in the Marina Basin is unaffected by the tides, its water level will be kept constant all year round. This is ideal for all kinds of recreational activities such as boating, windsurfing, kayaking and dragonboating…”
And this blog post is to reintroduce you to the revamped Myth and the Murray website that includes more information about the River Murray barrages … www.mythandthemurray.org
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Links
1. For an overview of Australian politics as it relates to the River Murray barrages http://jennifermarohasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Murray-Estuary_Sydney-Institute-Paper-2.pdf
2. According to statistics from the World Resources Institute, Australia is water rich with 50,913 litres per capita per day, while in a truly water scarce country like Singapore there are only 471 litres of available water per capita per day.
3. Marina barrage/reservoir
http://www.pub.gov.sg/Marina/Pages/3-in-1-benefits.aspx#fc
Photograph taken a few days while I was in Singapore.
Please visit Myth and the Murray.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.
Debbie says
May 19, 2013 at 11:40 amSuch refreshing honesty.
Totally agree.
No nonsense re PP or Ramsar etc????
Neville says
May 19, 2013 at 1:10 pmSpot on debbie, trouble is our water policies are political fron start to finish. But amazing to think that Oz has 108 times the water availability per person than does Singapore.
But boy are we hopeless at distribution and use of that wondereful natural gift. The lucky country run by too many second rate pollies.
cinders says
May 19, 2013 at 2:31 pmThere is even a plan to duplicate the Singapore Barage on the Tamar http://www.examiner.com.au/story/1460977/barrage-backers-seek-funding-for-next-step/
however as it is near the site of the proposed pulp mill, once described as Pristine Wilderness, there may be a ‘groundswell” of environmental oppositon.
Debbie says
May 20, 2013 at 3:20 pmCinders, 🙂
By the look of the comments, that groundswell has already begun.
I can’t imagine there will be much ‘refreshing honesty’ happening in Tassie.
jennifer says
May 20, 2013 at 3:54 pmJust deleted 7 completely off-topic posts on this thread – apologies – but let’s try and get them onto the open thread which is here… http://jennifermarohasy.com/2013/05/open-thread/
Debbie says
May 22, 2013 at 3:16 pmMeanwhile…..
CEWH (Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder) has approx. 850GL in the MDB that it doesn’t know how to use before the end of this season. (June 31st). No doubt this will be exacerbated by the very welcome wide spread rains we are presently experiencing.
The ‘flow on’ effect (excuse the pun) will be felt at the start of next watering season.
Not much ‘refreshing honesty’ happening there either.