Farmers say levees built to prevent flooding have made situation worse
Farmers in Carnarvon, Western Australia, say levee systems built to mitigate flooding have instead exacerbated flood impacts on their properties. Following ex-tropical Cyclone Narelle, heavy rainfall caused the Gascoyne River to overflow, damaging crops and infrastructure on northern riverbank farms. Producers like Kevin Sullivan and Giang Tran report significant losses and are adapting by shifting to more flood-resilient crops like mangoes.
- ▪Carnarvon produces about 80 per cent of Western Australia's fresh fruit and vegetables.
- ▪Levees were constructed after a major 2010 flood to protect the community, particularly on the south side of the Gascoyne River.
- ▪Farmers on the north side of the river say the levees have redirected water, increasing flood severity on their downstream properties.
- ▪Kevin Sullivan lost his pumpkin crop and suffered extensive irrigation damage from debris during the latest flood.
- ▪Giang Tran and her family lost all seedlings of chillies, capsicum, and watermelon due to the flooding caused by Cyclone Narelle.
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Levees built to protect WA's biggest food bowl have made flooding worse, according to farmersBy Andrew Chounding, Anthony Pancia and Rachel HaganLandlineTopic:Floods1h ago1 hours agoSat 2 May 2026 at 8:00pmPlantations along the Gascoyne River were flooded following heavy rain from ex-tropical Cyclone Narelle. (Supplied: Jo Bumbak)abc.net.au/news/impact-of-flood-levees-in-wa-biggest-food-bowl-cyclone-narelle/106611358Link copiedShareShare articleFarmers in one of the country's largest food-producing regions say levee systems built by the Western Australian government to reduce the impact of floods have instead made flooding worse for some producers.Carnarvon, about 900 kilometres north of Perth, is home to one of Western Australia's biggest food-growing regions, producing about 80 per cent…
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