integrated drought management in australia, by dr dasarath jayasuriya
TRANSCRIPT
Integrated Drought Management in Australia
Dr Dasarath (Jaya) Jayasuriya
Assistant Director Water Forecasting Services
Bureau of Meteorology
Climate Change, Food and Water Security workshop
February 24 and 25, IWMI Sri Lanka
Presentation outline
• Recent history
• Approach to managing droughts
• Our contribution to the global initiatives
• How can we collaborate?
• Avoid information paralysis (more a plea)
Australian Temperatures
• All of Australia has experienced warming over the past 50 years
• Some areas, have experienced a warming of 1.5 to 2 C
Australian Rainfall
• Substantial increases in many parts of northern and central Australia
• Substantial decreases across much of southern and eastern Australia
Flash flooding in Brisbane, February 2010
Normanton to Karumba Road cut, February 2010
Flood warnings issued
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Current drought service: rainfall maps
• maps of 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36 months and wet season for „drought‟, deciles, percentages etc
Gibbs and Maher 1967 Rainfall Deciles as drought indicators
Dam storages - Perth
• Perth storages (SW Australia)
– Now only 27% full compared to 44% this time last year
• Steady decline since October 2010
Australian drought policy: objectives
• To encourage primary producers and other sections to adopt self-reliant approaches to managing risk
• To limit damage to agricultural, water and environmental resource base during drought
• To ensure early recovery consistent with long-term sustainability
• Proactive sharing of climate risk „.. Strategies to manager, or address, the effects of climate change‟ , (after Water Act 2007)
• The environmentally sustainable of take „.. the amount which, if exceeded, would compromise key environmental values or the productive base of the water resource‟ , (after Water Act 2007)
Australian drought policy: Applications
• Government support through „Safety Net‟ and „Exceptional Circumstances‟
• The event must be “rare” (one in 20-25 years), and “severe” (lasting more than 12 months, and significant in spatial scale)
• Sustainable diversion limits: provides inter-annual variability in water availability
• Greater focus on dry years and „critical humane needs‟
– Enduring ecosystem functionality
– Increase administrative certainty
– Perfect water share
• New Murray Darling Basin Plan 2010-2011
• Greater efficiency on consumptive water use, restrictions
Urban sector initiatives
• Investment in infrastructure
• Increasing connectivity
• Increasing recycling (sewage and stormwater)
• Water conservation (education and regulation)
• Improved planning (Sustainable Water Strategy Framework)
• Pricing reform (Independent regulator)
Rural agricultural sector
• Clear water rights and entitlements
• Tradeable water entitlement regime
• Water market (water move)
• Investment in refurbishing aging infrastructure
• Monitoring and recording water use/take
Good Governance
• COAG Water Reform
• National Water Commission (NWC)
• Productivity Commission
• Victorian „Water Trust‟ type entities providing incentives
• Independent pricing regulators
How can we collaborate and what can we offer?
• Science and emerging services
• Links to Pacific initiatives, sharing information and products
• WIRADA outcomes (plug and play type tools)
• Global initiatives (Integrated Drought Management Framework, WMO)
For the next session (4.30 to 6.30) Can we identify and harvest the low hanging fruit? Specific example next
Seasonal Streamflow Forecast Service Website
AND ITS FREE………….
All cartoons: acknowledgement to Queensland Dept of Primary Industries and Fisheries and the Emerging Technology Company
Thanks for listening
Visit www.bom.gov.au/water
Dr Dasarath Jayasuriya
+61 3 86388251