Australia 'taking action' on Murray Darling Basin
Updated
The Australian government says it is heeding scientific warnings on the Murray Darling Basin and is taking action to turn around problems in the river system.
The Murray Darling Basin is a major water way that supports more than 40 per cent of the country's agricultural industry.
The Basin comprises an area the size of France and Germany.
The first health check of the entire Basin has found that the majority of the system is in poor condition.
The three year study has found drought and land management practices are affecting water flows, most noticeably in the Basin's southern river valleys.
Australia's water minister, Penny Wong, says the government is purchasing water to replenish the system and developing a Basin-wide plan for the future.
"The fact is that the combined impacts of climate change, of drought, of historic over-allocation and past government inaction, are being felt across the whole Murray Darling Basin and we know that farmers and communities are hurting," she said.
