Drinking water delivery in the outer Torres Strait Islands: A case study addressing sustainable water issues in remote Indigenous communities

ABSTRACT

Safe drinking water provision in remote Australian Indigenous communities can raise many challenges. An initiative to enhance drinking water treatment was piloted in Australia’s remote Torres Strait Islands. It was co-designed through close involvement of Torres Strait Islander local government officers and water operators. Data collection and analysis was undertaken independent researchers to assess the effectiveness of the pilot, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative sources, including field visits to the two Torres Strait Islands. The findings identified three key features for an effective programme of safe water delivery: appropriate infrastructure that is ‘fit for purpose, place and people’; mentoring and technical support for remotely located water operators, and cooperation across relevant state and local government agencies. The pilot initiative has adaptive potential for other remote communities and for other basic services, including wastewater treatment and solid waste management.

KEYWORDS:

• Drinking water management
• remote communities
• Indigenous engagement
• Australia
• Torres Strait

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Traditional Owners of Hammond and Warraber Islands in the Torres Strait for permitting and engaging with this initiative. The authors also wish to thank the following individuals for their involvement in the initiative: Queensland Health (Sophie Dwyer, Ellayne Wiles and Chris Land) and Torres Strait Island Regional Council staff (Patrick Pearson, Bernard Dorante, Henry Dorante, Nathan Pearson, William Pearson, Elijah Joseph, Mark David, Adeah Kabai, Matthew Brodbeck and David Baldwin).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported as a research contract with funding from Queensland Health;Department of Health, Queensland [Contract];

Notes on contributors

Nina L. Hall

Nina L. Hall Hall works on sustainable development of water, Indigenous health, and climate change and health at The University of Queensland’s School of Public Health. She previously managed the Sustainable Water programme manager at the UQ Global Change Institute, Queensland, and formerly was a research scientist on social and environmental engagement with CSIRO.

Heidi Grodecki

Heidi Grodecki works in water and health policy in the Water Unit at Queensland Health. She is conducting research on remote drinking water supplies through Griffith University.

Greg Jackson

Greg Jackson is the Director of the Water Unit at Queensland Health, and is also Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Queensland’s Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences. He holds a PhD in environmental science from the University of NSW.

Carroll Go Sam

Carroll Go Sam has research interests in Aboriginal architecture, public architecture, housing and identity themes drawing on professional experiences in rural townships in far-north Queensland, the Northern Territory and south-east Queensland. Her select key areas of Aboriginal architecture, Aboriginal housing management, policy, and design have occurred in the capacity as a researcher, educator, consultant and design practitioner

Brad Milligan

Brad Milligan is the Manager of Environmental Health at the Tropical Public Health Services (Cairns), within the Cairns and Hinterland Health and Hospital Service of Queensland Health.

Chris Blake

Chris Blake works in Environmental Health at the Tropical Public Health Services (Cairns), within the Cairns and Hinterland Health and Hospital Service of Queensland Health.

Toni Veronese

Toni Veronese is the manager of water and wastewater at Torres Strait Island Regional Council (TSIRC), based in Cairns, Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering from James Cook University.

Linda Selvey

Linda Selvey works in the School of Public Health as a Teaching and Research Academic. She is a health physician and her main research area is infectious disease. Her research interests are diverse including climate change and health. A/Prof Selvey formerly worked for Queensland Health as Executive Director, Population Health Queensland. She remained in this position until moving to Sydney where she took up the position of CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific.