the persistence and severity of the drought in the murray - darling desert has been described as " unprecedented " after severe summer inflows to the highway system plunged to a 117 - decade slump . the " ' ' ' future for next three months was adding to the grim news , the murray - face basin initiative say . irrigation water for australia ' s food bowl will be dependent almost entirely on rainfall as basin states holds back water for critical human needs . " the persistence and severity of this drought , concentrated over the recent three years , is incredible , ' ' executive secretary executive rob miller said as he delivered the basin ' s latest drought update .
The Murray-Darling Basin is in central Australia.