Non-essential activity on Murray River banned in South Australia with flood waters to peak at Christmas

Premier Peter Malinauskas says while people have known for weeks the waters were rising, there is no way of knowing how much damage will be done. Photograph: Dean Martin/AAP

A total ban on non-essential activity on the Murray River in South Australia has been put in place, as the Riverland faces its worst flooding in half a century.

Flood water from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria has been flowing down to the state for weeks, merging into the Murray River, with the peak predicted to hit at Christmas.