Australia unveils plan to tackle salinity

October 10, 2000
Web posted at: 2:00 PM EDT (1800 GMT)

CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) -- The Australian government unveiled a seven-year, $700 million (U.S. $372 million) plan on Tuesday to tackle salinity and water quality problems, two of the country's most serious environmental issues.

Prime Minister John Howard said urgent action was needed to halt the progression of salt intrusion which has devastated large tracts of rural Australia, threatening agriculture and rural water quality.

"Dryland salinity currently affects about 2 million hectares, that's five percent of cultivated land in our nation, and without remedial action this is going to expand to about 12 million hectares," Howard told a news conference.

"One third of all Australian rivers are in poor condition, and land and water degradation is estimated to cost up to $3.5 billion each year."

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Howard called on the nation's six states and two territories to match federal government funding of $700 million to pay for rehabilitation of waterways, re-vegetation and engineering works to combat salt intrusion into farmland.

The proposal, to be presented at next month's Council of Australian Governments meeting, is a small amount compared with estimates from the Australian Conservation Foundation and the National Farmers' Federal that up to $6.5 billion needs to be spent each year for the next decade to repair salinity damage.

The salt problem has been largely blamed on the use of European farming methods in Australia, including clearing and draining of land to create grasslands.

This practice has caused river trenches to sink deeply into the landscape, lowering the fresh water table and dramatically reducing the volume of fresh water in flood plains.

Howard said he did not rule out additional spending at the end, or near the end, of the seven-year project, which will target the 20 highest priority areas around Australia.

He said the strategy will also include land and water use changes where appropriate, but he declined to say how heavy users of water, such as wine and rice industries, would be targeted.

"This is a plan which will take a number of years to implement. It's something that will require the cooperation of everybody in the community. It will require people to change their habits," Howard said.

Last month Agriculture Minister Warren Truss unveiled a 15-year strategy to tackle salinity in the Murray-Darling basin which provides 40 percent of Australia's agricultural value.

This incorporated salt interception works, improved irrigation practices, replacing crops with forestry, conserving vegetation, salt harvesting and redesigned farming systems.

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Council of Australian Governments Meeting
Australian Conservation Foundation
Australia Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry

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