Its deputy chair Lloyd Polkinghorne said these concerns have been expressed from communities in many stretches along the river, with the latest from South Australian towns which, like their upstream counterparts, were heavily impacted by flooding last year.
“Current water policy lends itself to a greater risk of flooding,” Mr Polkinghorne said.
“You don’t have to be Einstein to work out that if more water is stored in upstream dams there is an increased chance of dam spills when there are unexpected rain events.
“People living along the rivers were warned six months in advance of last year’s floods about serious inundation, but these warnings were generally ignored and we had catastrophic results.
“Those who live and breathe the river systems – as opposed to those who live in cities and want to preach their ill-informed ideologies – appreciate and understand the rise and fall of water levels. Unfortunately, they rarely get listened to,” Mr Polkinghorne said.
In recent months river levels have been rising again as authorities release water from upstream dams, and this has led to renewed flooding fears, including towns along the Murray River in South Australia.
The Loxton Waikirie District Council mayor, in an article from ABC Riverland, is paraphrased as saying it is “stressful for those who were impacted by the summer flood”.
Mr Polkinghorne suggested the mayor should lead his community in calling for a review of water policy, including the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
“The South Australian Government continues to demand massive and unnecessary water recovery targets, in particular an additional 450 gigalitres which was not part of the original Basin Plan.
“If this water is recovered, stored and eventually delivered downstream to South Australia it is inevitable that flooding risks will be exacerbated. That’s basic physics.
“So South Australia needs to review its approach to the 450 gigalitres and concentrate on maximizing the efficiency of water use from the Murray River, while investing in infrastructure upgrades and increasing the use of its desalination facilities,” Mr Polkinghorne said.
The same ABC Riverland writes that authorities reported there was “no need to be alarmed” about possible flooding.
“We’re not sure the ‘trust us, we’re from the government’ mantra stacks up,” Mr Polkinghorne said.
“People need to remember that the Basin Plan was being modelled about the same time as we had disastrous government programs like pink batts and school halls.
“The simple fact is, governments make mistakes.
“Adding the 450 gigalitres was a massive mistake for the Basin Plan which has the potential to both decimate rural communities, especially if the Albanese Government proceeds with buybacks, while also causing significant flood impacts by trying to store and deliver such huge volumes.
“Politicians are not good at admitting mistakes until they are forced to. But it is imperative we acknowledge the mistakes of the Basin Plan and work to rectify them before it is too late.”
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