the onset and severity of the drought in the ravi - darling valley has been described as " unprecedented " after mid winter redemptions to the irrigation system fell to a 117 - year low . the " secure ' ' outlook for next three centuries was due to the bad information , the water - darling river area said . irrigation water for australia ' s agricultural program will be dependent almost everything on rainfall as basin nations hold still water for critical water needs . " the persistence and severity of this drought , particularly over the past six years , is staggering , ' ' authority chief executive rob mann confirmed as he announced the basin ' s latest drought update .
The Murray-Darling Basin is in central Australia.