Australia clears plan to protect Murray-Darling Basin
Australia approved a plan aimed at saving vital Murray-Darling Basin river water sytem.
About Murray-Darling Basin:
The Murray–Darling Basin is a river network sprawling for one million square kilometres (400,000 square miles) across five Australian states (New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland South Australia) in the interior of south-eastern Australia. The two main rivers in this basin are the Murray River and the Darling River.
How it is important to Australia?
- The basin drains around 1/7th of the Australian land mass, and is one of the most important agricultural areas in Australia.
What are the dangers faced by the basin?
The major threat to the basin is overexploitation and draught which has caused increase in concentration of salt and depletion of water.
What is the Plan?
As per the plan:
- Around 2,750 gigalitres of water will be returned annually as environmental flows to the system.
- 2 million tonnes of salt will also be flushed out each year.
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Month: Current Affairs - November, 2012
Category: Places in News Current Affairs