Australia's Howard warns drought is 'unprecedentedly dangerous' - DPA

[Eugene]

Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Australia's Howard warns drought is 'unprecedentedly dangerous'
Posted : Thu, 19 Apr 2007 04:39:00GMT
Author : DPA

Sydney- The worst drought on record has brought about an
"unprecedentedly dangerous situation" for farmers on Australia's
prime agricultural land, Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday.
Without heavy rains in the Murray-Darling basin in the next six
weeks farmers will be denied water for irrigation so that millions
of townsfolk further down the river system won't go thirsty.

Householders in all Australia's major cities are already on tight
water restrictions and these are likely to be tightened further
to cope with a changing climate where temperatures are higher
and rainfall is lower.

Murray-Darling farmers account for a third of agricultural
production and three-quarters of irrigated acreage like vineyards
and orchards.

"If it doesn't rain in sufficient volume over the next six to eight
weeks, there'll be no water allocations for irrigation purposes in
the basin," the prime minister told reporters. "It's a grim
situation and there's no point in pretending to the Australian
public otherwise."

-snip-

Read more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/53657.html

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Source: Reuters

RPT-Drought-hit Australia to stop irrigating food bowl
19 Apr 2007 04:59:50 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA, April 19 (Reuters) - Australia faced an "unprecedentedly
dangerous" drought and unless rain falls within weeks irrigation will
be cut to the nation's food bowl, Prime Minister John Howard said
on Thursday.

A contingency plan prepared for the government said unless water
catchments across the country received heavy and widespread
rainfalls before mid-May, allocations for irrigators and
environmental river flows would be stopped.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SYD294686.htm