The Darling River is simply not supposed to dry out, even in drought

The deaths of millions of fish in the lower Darling River system over the past few weeks should come as no surprise. Quite apart from specific warnings given to the NSW government by their own specialists in 2013, scientists have been warning of devastation since the 1990s.

Puddles in the bed of the Darling River are a sign of an ecosystem in crisis.

Put simply, ecological evidence shows the Barwon-Darling River is not meant to dry out to disconnected pools – even during drought conditions. Water diversions have disrupted the natural balance of wetlands that support massive ecosystems.

Unless we allow flows to resume, we’re in danger of seeing one of the worst environmental catastrophes in Australia.

Read the piece from The Conversation by Professor Fran Sheldon from the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University - “The Darling River is simply not supposed to dry out, even in drought.”