Greens Legislative Council Member Mark Parnell and Senator-elect Sarah Hanson-Young started at Tailem Bend on Friday, travelling down the river to the Murray mouth, talking to farmers along the way.

“I still don’t think people in the city and upstream have grasped the grim reality: the Lower Lakes and the Coorong are literally dying before our eyes,” Ms Hanson-Young said.

“People are crying out for help now, not in 2011.”

The Greens’ visit to the Lower Lakes follows the signing of the National Water Plan by all Murray Darling Basin states at last week’s Council of Australian Governments meeting in Adelaide.

The deal will see an independent authority formed that will be responsible for the management of the river, however it has been reported this authority will not be in power until 2011.

Mr Parnell said Friday’s tour had made it clear this delayed response to the problem would not be quick enough.

“We are very concerned that it’s going to take longer than what they (the farmers) have got (for benefits of the water plan to be felt),” Mr Parnell said.

“The need is now, they need to get at least some of that money to buy water and put it back in the river.”