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In this section you will find detailed information, including national overviews and state and regional level assessments, from the 2000-2002 National Land and Water Resources Audit theme assessments.
Irrigation - Northern Territory
Northern Territory
Extent of irrigation in Northern Territory
The total area irrigated in the Northern Territory decreased by 1,300 hectares or 40% from 1992/93 (3,252 ha) to 1996/97 (1,953 ha). The extent of change in irrigated area varies significantly across river basins, with an increase observed in some basins.
The area irrigated has been estimated using 2 methods - 1) by aggregating ABS SLA statistics to AWRC Basins; and 2) using ANCID Australian Irrigator Provider Benchmarking Statistics reporting area irrigated in 48 systems nationally.
Because irrigation systems reported by ANCID may straddle several AWRC Basins, area irrigated is reported for all Basins and Systems in each State. The difference between the reported State / Territory totals in 1) and 2) shows the extent of irrigated area not reported by ANCID in addition to irrigation occurring outside designated systems.
| Basin | Area Irrigated 1983/84 (ha) | Area Irrigated 1992/93 (ha) | Area Irrigated 1996/97 (ha) | Change in Area Irrigated 1992/93 - 1996/97 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NT | 492 | 3,252 | 1,953 | -39.95 |
| Georgina River (NT) | 2 | 10 | 6 | -36.22 |
| Finke River (NT) | 1 | 6 | 4 | -31.75 |
| Todd River | 3 | 42 | 62 | 49.70 |
| Hay River (NT) | 1 | 6 | 0 | -99.98 |
| Warburton (NT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Mackay (NT) | 19 | 64 | 59 | -8.44 |
| Burt | 1 | 17 | 15 | -14.46 |
| Wiso | 69 | 142 | 143 | 0.55 |
| Barkly | 4 | 1 | 9 | 6,366.41 |
| Ord River (NT) | 14 | 1 | 0 | -99.24 |
| Keep River (NT) | 7 | 1 | 0 | -98.59 |
| Victoria River | 91 | 1 | 0 | -99.89 |
| Fitzmaurice River | 6 | 224 | 11 | -95.13 |
| Moyle River | 1 | 271 | 14 | -95.13 |
| Daly River | 56 | 1,056 | 447 | -57.72 |
| Finniss River | 94 | 457 | 488 | 6.71 |
| Bathurst and Melville Islands | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Adelaide River | 20 | 288 | 231 | -19.74 |
| Mary River (WA) | 2 | 125 | 7 | -95.15 |
| Wildman River | 2 | 14 | 0 | -99.99 |
| South Alligator River | 4 | 31 | 0 | -100.00 |
| East Alligator River | 4 | 7 | 0 | -99.98 |
| Goomadeer River | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Liverpool River | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Blyth River | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Goyder River | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Buckingham River | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Koolatong River | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Walker River | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Roper River | 84 | 492 | 460 | -6.36 |
| Towns River | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Limmen Bight River | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Rosie River | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| McArthur River | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Robinson River | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Calvert River | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Settlement Creek (NT) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Nicholson River (NT) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
ABS AgStats 97, 93 & 84 (concorded to 1996/97 SLA boundaries by BRS)
The total consumption of water for irrigation in the Northern Territory represents 30% of the total water use in the Territory. In 1996/97, an estimated 53 GL of water was used to irrigate 1,953 ha. This represents less than 1% of both the total volume of water used for irrigation in Australia and the total national irrigated area. Fruit accounts for 55% of the irrigated area, vegetables 12%, pasture 8%, rice and cereals 7%, grapevines 6% and other crops 5%.
The total irrigated area has increased four-fold from 491 ha in 1983/84 to 1,953 ha in 1996/97. Water usage has increased by 42 GL/yr or almost five-fold since 1985.
The gross value of irrigated production in 1996/97 was estimated at $24 million, representing 0.3% of the national total.
No data
| Irrigation System | Total Area in System 1999/2000 (ha) | Actual Area Irrigated 1999/2000 (ha) | Area Irrigated (10 Year Average) (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NT | 0 | 0 | 0 |
ANCID 2000
Further information
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