To me, it's rapidly coming down to this. Do we want milk for our children, or nuts/wine for adults?

Although not mentioned in this program, the dairy industry in the Basin - in Australia - is teetering on the brink as these family-run farms are unable to compete with the big players in the water market, struggling as they are with low milk prices.

Privatisation of our rivers inevitably leads to the water going to the entity with the deepest pockets. In this instance it's the big corporate players growing nuts/grapes/cotton.

But water is a scarce resource unlike any other market commodity. It's our life blood, even more essential than energy, and the Basin's problems simply must not be allowed to drag on, year after year.

I believe the time is now when we need to begin prioritising our agricultural preferences.

Come on, Government, do your duty as we head towards a war footing in the face of horrific climatic changes. Milk for our children, or nuts/wine for adults?

Once again we have seen an excellent yet damning report on the MDB Plan. Will the powers that be listen? I think not.

My name is Peter Gilmour and I live at Cobram. My great grandfather settled near here in 1876. I took up the Basin Plan story since its inception. I run a small Facebook page Murray Darling Basin Connection which gives me a strong interest to follow.

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I have travelled the whole Basin a few times and each time I have been gobsmacked by the inequity in the irrigation schemes. Last year, for instance, the Darling River ran dry yet the dam at St George had water in it for irrigation.

Our area gave up a lot of water, so I am bitterly disappointed that the water has been lost.

The same can be said for many irrigation areas. Yet large scale irrigation is still being developed, also the large nut plantations on the lower Murray along with a major scheme being developed along the Sturt Highway between Carathool and Hay supposedly for nuts. This is just pure greed.

Last year the Murray River was run at least 20 per cent over usual levels for many months and the Mulwala Canal was run at capacity to supply water to the lower Murray and the lower lakes as the Darling River was dry. If that is not governmental and corporate greed and insanity then I don't know what is, especially as the farmers who usually get supply from the Mulwala Canal got zero allocation.

The lower lakes and Coorong in South Australia must be addressed as part of the plan, and they must give up water like the rest of us have had to. To keep that system filled with fresh water is environmental madness.

You can submit a letter to the editor via the comments section of our website at www.bordermail.com.au, or by sending an email to letters@bordermail.com.au. Your letter must contain your full name (for publication), as well as an address and contact phone number (not for publication).