Immediate changes are needed to avoid the"collapse"of Australia's longest river system,a NSW government agency has found.
Debate over the viability of the $13 billion Murray Darling Basin Plan will likely intensify in coming months as the region's drought deepens.
Farmers along the Darling River are resorting to using sulphuric acid to counter high salt levels as attention turns to the quality of the water that remains in the drought-hit system.
Humans have contributed to increased global risks of drought for more than a century,scientists say,in findings that also point to"severe"consequences with ongoing climate change.
The Murray-Darling Basin accounted for about 70 per cent of agricultural water use nationally in 2017-18.
The head of a company embroiled in a maligned $79 million water purchase has defended the deal and described questions over the conduct of government MPs as “a joke”.
Why should we care about water and how might the issue affect the federal election result?
Two senior government figures have been drawn into controversy surrounding the deal,which has thrust water management to the fore of the federal election campaign.
The Morrison government will spend $70 million to help avoid a repeat of the mass fish kills in the Darling River and to improve compliance by irrigators.
Any review of the rules in the first five years of the water-sharing plan was restricted from making changes even if fish populations were threatened
The recovery in the health of major rivers such as the Barwon-Darling is likely to be delayed well after the return of good rainfall because of policy changes.