2. Overview
Drought definition
The reason Australia is prone to
drought
Sustainable practices to effectively
manage drought
Immediate plan of action
Reflection
3. Drought Definition
Drought is a natural disaster
Drought refers to a water shortage
(National Museum Australia, n.d.)
“Perth rainfall” (Water corporation, 2014)
4. The reason Australia is
prone to drought
Geographic
location
(National Museum
Australia, n.d.)
Flat
continent
“University campuses” (Flickr, n.d.)
5. Rainfall totals for Australia
over 24 months
“Twenty four monthly rainfall totals for Australia” (Australian
Government Bureau of Meteorology, 2014)
6. Sustainable practices to
effectively manage drought
Sustainable farming practices
Drought monitoring
Effective & Efficient water storage
Water recycling
Everyone can do their bit to conserve water
The 1992 National Drought Policy changed focus
from a natural disaster to encouraging good risk
management practices by farmers
(Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry, 2012)
7. Immediate Plan of Action
To live sustainably in Australia, farmers, communities
and cities need to adopt strategies to conserve water
and effectively manage environmental conditions
These sustainable solutions include:
1. Working with the land (National Museum Australia, n.d.)
2. Water recycling options
3. Water storage solutions
4. Continued research into sustainable solutions to
conserve and store water
5. Conserve water
8. Reflection
Actions to improve sustainability are both
individual and collective endeavours shared across
local and global communities (Australian Curriculum
Assessment & Reporting Authority, 2014)
Everyone can do there bit to conserve water
The Western Australian Government is already
planning for the future of Perth with plans for a
water recycling facility
As rainfall declines in Perth and demand rises due to
population increases the Western Australian State
Government has confirmed plans for a water recycling
plan in Perth. Potentially providing up to 115 billion
litres of water a year by 2060 (Mercer, 2014)
9. Is it possible to
‘drought-proof’ Australia?
Based on the
evidence drought is
a natural part of the
Australian
environment,
therefore to reduce
the impact of
drought, Australia
needs to be less
vulnerable “Waiting for the rains to come” (Flickr, 2012)
10. References
Australian Curriculum Assessment & Reporting Authority, (ACARA). (2014).
Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/CrossCurriculumPriorities/Sustainabi
lity
Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. (2014). Twenty four monthly
rainfall totals for Australia [image]. Retrieved from
http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/rain/index.jsp?colour=colour&time=latest&s
tep=0&map=totals&period=24month&area=nat
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. (2012). Drought in Australia.
Retrieved from
http://www.daff.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/2148922/Drought_in_Au
stralia_2012.pdf
Flickr. (2010). Massive Droughts [image]. Retrieved from
http://indianapublicmedia.org/eartheats/files/2010/11/drought-940x626.jpg
Flickr. (n.d.). University campuses [image]. Retrieved from
http://www.curtin.edu/images/locations/locations-map-singapore.png
11. References continued
Flickr. (2012). Waiting for the Rains to Come [image]. Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/graynomad/6985034572
Mercer, D. (2014, June 12). Perth faces wastewater reality. The West Australian,
Retrieved from https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/24218183/perth-faces-
wastewater-reality/
National Museum Australia. (n.d.). Investigating drought – its causes, impacts,
management. Retrieved from http://www.nma.gov.au/engage-learn/
schools/classroom-resources/units_of_work/drought
Water Corporation. (2014). Perth rainfall table [image]. Retrieved from
https://www.watercorporation.com.au/water-supply-and-services/rainfall-and-
dams/rainfall
