|
|
|
Howard’s water warning
20 Apr 2007
Yesterday Prime Minister John Howard said he had received a report warning of an "unprecedented dangerous" situation in the Murray-Darling Basin. Mr Howard said that unless there was "heavy rain" in the next six to eight weeks, there would be no water allocations for irrigation in the basin, which accounts for 71 per cent of Australia's irrigated crops and 41 per cent of the nation's agricultural produce overall. Economists have warned that continued drought across the nation threatens to make a $36 billion hole in the national economy, as well as sending the prices of fruit and vegetables soaring. Wayne Meyer, professor of natural resource science at the University of Adelaide, said the impact on irrigators would be huge, particularly stone fruit, citrus and grape growers.
The Age, 20/04/2007
|
|
