Re: Third of towns 'won't survive drought'
- From: "truth" <truth@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:39:04 GMT
Australia is such a huge country. If they cannot survive in one
area, they can easily moved elsewhere within the country to
seek a better future.
Can Singaporeans do it without leaving the country ?
<watizzit@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:f051b610-68f6-4ebc-acbd-5ed251d08969@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Third of towns 'won't survive drought'
Andrew McGarry | April 17, 2008
UP to a third of the South Australian communities that front the
ailing Murray River might not make it through the drought, the state's
water security minister, Karlene Maywald, has warned.
The startling declaration came as the Government announced there was a
50-50 chance that irrigators would start the new water year in July
with allocations of less than 4per cent of their normal total.
Ms Maywald referred to an economic study undertaken last year in South
Australia's Riverland in response to the downturn in the wine and
citrus industries.
"The low commodity prices leading into this drought have also impacted
upon people's ability to be able to weather (the drought) ... it could
be up to a third of the community may not be able to make it through,"
she told ABC radio.
"But it just depends what happens this winter, and there's no
definitive numbers because every individual person has different
circumstances."
Ms Maywald emphasised the one-third figure was a "judgment call" by
the report, but it was a possibility "if things go absolutely pear-
shaped".
Irrigators will keep their current allocation of 32per cent until the
end of the water year on June 30, but Ms Maywald said the starting
allocation for 2008-09 depended on the rainfall in the catchment area
during the next couple of months.
At Waikerie in South Australia's Riverland, citrus and grape grower
Noel McPherson said he was concerned about what would happen if the
allocations were as low as feared.
"I'm hard-pressed to keep the citrus and vines alive until the end of
June with the allocation I have," he said.
"Zero to 4per cent - it's hardly enough to put your first irrigation
in the ground and put water in your sprays to spray the vines.
"It's pathetic, devastating."
Mr McPherson, who removed 20per cent of the plantings from his
property last year, said he had spent nearly $20,000 on emergency
water supplies since the 15-day heatwave that hit South Australia in
March.
"I lost 20per cent of my property last year," he said.
Tim Whetstone from SA Murray Irrigators, which represents the 4000-
plus irrigators who use the river in South Australia, said a starting
point of zero to 4per cent would be "pretty cruel".
Mr Whetstone said the shortages during the past water year had sapped
many irrigators of their financial reserves.
"A lot of people are saying to me they've had enough," Mr Whetstone
said. "They just can't face another year under the pressures they had
last year."
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23552228-5013945,00.html
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