Parched summer on way

UP to two million Australians in the lower Murray-Darling catchment are facing the worst summer of water restrictions and shortages in 70 years.

The warning by the head of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Wendy Craik, was just one of several issued yesterday by some of Australia's top experts on drought and climate change.

Some predicted that Australia may never fully recover from the current dry.

Water Services Association of Australia executive director Ross Young said the outlook for capital cities apart from Sydney, Hobart and Darwin, was "not looking good".

"It is going to take a concerted effort to make sure we implement appropriate restrictions and water conservation measures to get through this summer and the next one," he said.

"Around Australia, Brisbane, of all the capitals, is the one that really does have its back to the wall."

He added that Adelaide "has got to ask how reliable the Murray is going to be this summer and next summer, given that the tank really is empty."

Adelaide draws at least 40per cent of its water from the Murray.

Dr Craik detailed the gravity of the Murray's situation from an "unprecedented combination of low storage levels and low inflows".

The nation's biggest river system is holding 1700 gigalitres less water in storage this year than at the same time last year, the worst on record.

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