Water supply

Water has always been of extreme importance to Aboriginal people, particularly those living in the desert areas of Australia. There are no permanent rivers at all in the Central or Western Deserts. Rainfall is very important. Traditionally, if widespread rain fell, people would travel great distances to attend large ceremonies. If no rain fell, then people would gather around reliable water-holes. Water determined movement.

In the Northern Territory exploration, including mineral exploration, livestock, and urban development have competed for scarce water resources, particularly in arid zones. As a result, natural soaks and waterholes have either become contaminated or dried up.

If people want to return to their own country today, they are generally dependent upon government agencies to provide assistance with water supplies. The issue of providing water to communities in the NT is complex. Outstations and small communities present unique challenges; the provision of adequate facilities is most often costly and difficult.

People in smaller communities exist without water and sanitation facilities that are taken for granted by people living in cities or towns. Problems with water supply are not only concerned with issues of quality and quantity, but also with access to it and the disposal of waste water. The quality and quantity of a community's water supply affects the health and well-being of all residents of that community.

The ATSIC Survey 1992

In 1992 ATSIC carried out a national survey. The national survey provided "for the first time, comprehensive quantitative data on the water supply situation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout Australia" (Federal Race Discrimination Commissioner 1994:19). According to this survey of 482 communities in the NT:

• 46% used water that does not comply with the NHMRC guidelines
• 30% had water restrictions applied at some time in the past 12 months
• 51% had a water supply system that would be unable to meet the housing needs over the next five years (Federal Race Discrimination Commissioner 1994: 20)
• 13% had a water supply that was not maintained

The difficulties of supplying potable water

Communities and outstations in the northern part of the NT have generally been established where a limited surface supply is usually available early in the dry season. The majority of communities and outstations in the arid zone and sub-tropical north of the Territory are dependent on groundwater supplies.

Some communities face difficulties because they only have access to one source of water. This water may have a naturally high mineral content. Unless people want to move they must continue to drink and use it.

Problems include:

• sometimes sites where Aboriginal people choose to live do not have enough water
• the quality of water found at the sites of smaller settlements or outstations often does not meet the NHMRC guidelines on water quality (for example water may have an unacceptably high mineral content)
• the standard of community consultation, interaction and education that takes place during planning and installation of water supply systems varies considerably
• often technical projects do not take into account the particular physical, cultural and social needs of communities
• water systems are expensive to install and to maintain
• systems in minor communities are often not reliable and maintenance is difficult and expensive
• people receiving the services are unable to pay for the actual cost of delivering them (in the NT this is not only true for Aboriginal communities)

Who is responsible for water supply

Power and Water Authority (PAWA)

PAWA is responsible for the supply and maintenance of water services to major communities, they also employ Aboriginal Liaison Officers (see the PAWA information table under the section 'power').

The level of assistance that PAWA can provide depends on how far the community is from a major town centre and the size of its population. The distance affects the response time to breakdowns, and the population size affects the level and priority of infrastructure investment.

For 'minor communities' who need assistance with water supply, PAWA works on a case by case basis. Staff look at such things as the other infrastructure that exists in the community (Health Centre, School, Police). They also look at what other agencies are doing in that community.

Essential Services Officers

'Major communities' have an Essential Services Contract with PAWA that enables them to employ an Essential Services Officer (ESO).

ESOs are selected and employed by the community council. They look after the community's power, water and sewerage systems. On a day to day basis the ESO looks after the pumps, tanks and any water treatment equipment used in the community. Although their contract says that they will be suitably qualified, finding and keeping ESOs with the range of skills and abilities required can be a problem.

ESOs will repair leaks and broken pipes in the water supply system but are rarely responsible for repairs to water fittings inside houses. Those things have to be fixed by a community plumber or contractor and should be organised through a community maintenance system. The ESO is not responsible for individual septic systems or the electrical fixtures in houses.

ESOs also take monthly water samples from several places in the community and send the samples to Darwin or Alice Springs for examination in the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment laboratories. These are not comprehensive water analysis tests but they indicate whether the water is safe to drink or not. The results are usually available within seven days and are monitored by Environmental Health Officers for potential public health problems.

		See also 'Water quality' in Section 2