Case Study : Murray Darling Basin Australia (MDB) Water Management

Where
States involved: MDB climate and vegetation
The States in the Murray-Darling Basin include, Victoria, New South Wales, The range in climate across the Murray–Darling Basin reflects it size, of more
South Australia, Queensland and the ACT. than 1 million square kilometres, and its diverse geography ─ from rugged
mountains to flat semi-arid plains. The climate of the Basin is sub-tropical in the
north, semi-arid in the west and mostly temperate in the south. There are a variety
of plants in the Murray Darling Basin for example the silver daisy bush, darling
lily, resin wattle, coloured spider orchid, Monarto mint bush and much more.
Physical causes including dates/figures:
The basin affects five states and territory governments, which according to the Constitution, are responsible for managing water resources. The River Murray
Commission was established in 1917. Under the River Murray Waters Agreement, which did not include Queensland though about a quarter of the basin lays in the
state, the Commission was an advisory body with no authority for enforcement of provisions.
Causes due to human activity:
The Murray-Darling Basin is a naturally saline environment, but human activity has increased the amount of salt entering the system to about 2 million tonnes every
year. The economic cost of this salt has been estimated at $270 million per year.
Consequences of desertification:
Based on current climate and land conditions, the Murray-Darling basin is reducing in size. The basin is an indication on the effects of desertification occurring across
the country. Human conditions are a strong factor in the increase of desertification in Australia.
Management of water to relieve threat of desertification:
In response to the millennium drought and the continuing over-allocation of MDB water resources by the states, in 2007 Prime Minister John Howard proposed a $10
billion 10-year National Plan for Water Security. He called for the MDB states to transfer their powers to enable the Commonwealth to oversee the management of the
MDB. The MDBC would be reconstituted as an Authority (MDBA), responsible for setting a cap on the sustainable use of Basin water resources. Agreement was not
reached with all the states, so the Commonwealth legislated to achieve its aims using only Commonwealth powers. The Water Act 2007 established the MDBA which
is responsible for preparing the Basin Plan for the Minister. The Plan must contain:
• long-term average Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs) for the amount of surface water and groundwater that can be taken from Basin water resources
• an environmental watering plan
• a water quality and salinity management plan and
• rules about trading of water.
 Case study : Sahel
Where The Sahel part of Africa includes from west to east parts of northern
Senegal, southern Mauritania, central Mali, northern Burkina Faso, the
extreme south of Algeria, Niger, the extreme north of Nigeria, the extreme
north of Cameroon and Central African Republic, central Chad, central and
southern Sudan, the extreme north of South Sudan, Eritrea and the extreme
north of Ethiopia.
Countries involved: Sahel climate and vegetation
Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Central The climate type for the Sahel is Semi- arid.
African Republic, South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia
Physical causes including dates/figures:
The Sahel passes through countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and Chad. The Sahel has been turning in to the desert since the late 1940s, this has been caused
by drought, population increase, overcultivation, over grazing and cutting firewood. There is only one physical cause of desertification in the Sahel and that is climate
change.
Causes due to human activity:
If the change in climate in the Sahel region "is not slowed-down and desertification possibly reversed through sustainable practices and any form of reforestation, it is
only a matter of time before" countries like Niger lose their entire landmass to desert due to unchecked unsustainable human practises such as (see below)
Consequences of desertification:
Over-farming, over-grazing, over-population of marginal lands, and natural soil erosion, have caused serious desertification of the region. This has affected shelter
construction, making it necessary to change the used materials.
Management of desertification:
The Woodless Construction project was introduced in Sahel in 1980 by the Development Workshop, achieving since then a high social impact in the region. A major
initiative to combat desertification in the Sahel region via reforestation and other interventions is the Great Green Wall.