river basin management pathways to water security
DESCRIPTION
Dr Don Blackmore, former CEO of Murray Darling Basin Commission, Australia PLENARY: Pathways to enhance water security Plenary to trace pathways to enhance water security through innovative economic instruments, institutional reform, information technology and investment strategiesTRANSCRIPT
Don Blackmore Chairman – Water for a Healthy Country;
Chairman- eWater CRC
Former CEO Murray Darling Basin Commission
The Australian Water Story River Basin Management pathways to
water security
18 April 2012
Evolution of Water Management
• Pioneering and Discovery Phase
1880 – 1920
• Delivery Phase 1920 – 1985
• Management Phase 1985- Present
The reform agenda Policy | Institutional | Instruments | Tools
Ratio of maximum annual flow to
minimum annual flow for selected rivers
15.5MURRAYAUSTRALIA
4705.2DARLINGAUSTRALIA
54.3HUNTERAUSTRALIA
16.9ORANGESOUTH AFRICA
3.9POTOMACUSA
2.4WHITE NILESUDAN
2.0YANGTZECHINA
1.9RHINESWITZERLAND
1.3AMAZONBRAZIL
RATIO BETWEEN
THE MAXIMUM and
the MINIMUM
ANNUAL FLOWS
RIVERCOUNTRY
Commissioner, Sir Ronald East
straddling the River Murray at Nyah,
Victoria during the drought of 1923
0
200
400
600
800
1000
(L)
Daily water consumption percapita (including irrigation)
Australia
Africa
Europe
Asia North
America
South America
0
4000
8000
12000
16000
(ML)
Annual streamflowper km2
Australia – the driest inhabited continent – with the highest per capita water use
Evolution of Water Management
• Pioneering and Discovery Phase 1880 – 1920
• Delivery Phase 1920 – 1985
• Management Phase 1985-
Present
The reform agenda The Major reforms; •Manage water on a catchment basis (MDBC , SCA etc) •COAG agrees water reform agenda 1994 (similar to electricity and transport in National Competition Policy) •State benefit from increased revenue generated by the reform •National Water Commission and MDBC institute audit roles
1. Diminishing water security
Climate change and drought
Urban population growth
2. Over-allocation of resources
Rapid and poorly managed expansion of irrigation
(1960s-1980s)
Uncontrolled groundwater use
Drier climate since 1950s
3. Environmental degradation
Salinity
Toxic algal blooms
Decline in native fish, birds and floodplain vegetation
Australia’s top 3 water issues
National water policy reform (1994-2004)
1994 COAG water reforms
Institutional reform (rural and urban)
Property rights and water markets/trading
Environmental flow provisions
Groundwater management
Water included in National Competition Policy
2004 National Water Initiative
Review and update of 1994 reforms
New powers and role for Commonwealth (Federal)
Government
New Commonwealth Water Act (2007)
Water for the Future fund ($12.9 billion)
Murray-Darling Basin Plan
The Murray Darling Basin Story
Driving Philosophy: You can’t manage what you can’t describe and measure
The Murray-Darling Basin
Must move from perceptions to fact
“Sufficient certainty” enables the hard questions and tradeoffs to be tackled
management
Conventional River Basin Knowledge Knowledge
Policy Process
Implementation Personality
On Ground Action
The reform agenda Policy | Institutional | Instruments | Tools
Instrument— water scarcity
The Cap
The Murray-Darling Basin
70% of Australia’s irrigated agriculture
However...
Serious over-allocation of water between 1960s-1980s
10500 The Cap
0
8000
16000
24000
32000
'20s '30s '40s '50s '60s '70s '80s '90s
(GL)
QLD VIC NSW
MDBC TOTAL
Instrument—increased economic output
Water Trading
Water trading
From this .... To this ….
Employment Figures Resulting
From Irrigation Investment
High-value horticulture
Requirements for Water Markets
Clear specification of entitlements Comprehensive registration systems
linked to water accounts Mechanisms to transfer between
different entitlements Trading rules
Instrument—managing salt pollution
Salinity and Drainage Strategy
Victoria - Shallow Water Tables 1996
River
Murray
Melbourne
Loddon
Avoca
Campaspe Goulburn
Broken
Ovens
Kiewa
Victoria – Shallow Water Tables 1996
Victoria - Salinity Hazard at 2100
River
Murray
Victoria – Salinity Hazard at 2100
Salinity Strategy in Summary
Farming
systems
development
Forestry for
environmental
services
Joint works to
protect shared
rivers
State salinity
Strategies
Catchment
Management
Strategy
Irrigation and land
and water
management plan
Morgan salinity
target <800EC
95% of time
End of valley
target site Farming Systems Development Forestry for Environmental Services Joint works to protect shared rivers
Instrument—restoring river health
Environmental Flows-The Living
Murray “A healthy working river”
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan (2010-11)
Defines ‘Sustainable Diversion Limits’
For 20 River Valleys in MDB (in different States)
Covers surface- and ground-waters
Will consider climate change risks
Protect environmental ‘assets’
Floodplain forests and wetlands
Environmental flows
Water quality and salinity
Political and social implications
State ‘Water Sharing Plans’ must be accredited
Social impacts must be considered
Based on ‘best-available’ science
(evidence-based policy)
Better environmental outcomes
Tools—fundamental for effective River planning and management
River Models-”a computer
simulation that enables reliable
and repeatable testing of the
system”
CLIMATE
LAND USE
ECOLOGICAL ASSETS
DAMS & WEIRS
IRRIGATION CITIES
For rural and urban water management
Pro
ject
web
site
The reform agenda Policy | Institutional | Instruments | Tools