Australian Geographic – July-August 2019

Australia is the driest inhabited

continent and has the highest per capita

surface water storage capacity of any

country in the world. The large number

and size of water storages is a function

of both Australia’s aridity and its highly

variable rainfall.

The last time the nation’s accessible

water storage was at a level similar

to current fi gures was in mid-2016.

FACT

Australia’s accessible water by volume

Volume (GIGALITRES)

buzz

July. August 33

Water storage levels for our major cities

INFORMATION AND DATA REPRODUCED WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS LICENCE (CC BY 3.0 AU)

SYDNEY

52.9%

1,364,892ML

of 2,581,750

70.1%

LAST YEAR

MELBOURNE

49.9%

904,160ML

of 1,812,175

57.9%

LAST YEAR

BRISBANE

67.6%

1,501,187ML

of 2,220,150

80.5%

LAST YEAR

PERTH

39.9%

232,608ML

of 583,537

35.6%

LAST YEAR

ADELAIDE

42.3%

83,538ML

of 197,405

46.5%

LAST YEAR

HOBART

75.7%

2726ML

of 3600

78.5%

LAST YEAR

CANBERRA

57%

158,489ML

of 277,839

69.6%

LAST YEAR

DARWIN

74.6%

223,332ML

of 299,409

93.6%

LAST YEAR