Teacher background information

Water is a vital life resource. Access to clean safe water in parts of arid Australia has become a contemporary issue that requires innovative scientific solutions. This elaboration provides students with the opportunity to investigate challenges in the provision of clean, safe water to remote communities in parts of arid Australia, and the scientific knowledges that are being implemented to solve these problems. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have long understood how to obtain and purify water. However, changes in land usage in contemporary times, including changes in agricultural practices and land use affecting groundwater resources, have posed new challenges for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This elaboration provides students with the opportunity to understand how scientific knowledge is being used to solve water supply issues that affect communities in remote and regional Australia.

Small regional Australian communities experience greater challenges in accessing and maintaining clean, safe water than communities in larger urban areas. In regional and remote communities in arid Australian environments much of the water supply is bore water that is drawn from underground water sources. Many of these bores were drilled and equipped for stock watering purposes and were not planned or designed to provide potable water for human consumption. Ground water in arid areas of Australia commonly contain high concentrations of minerals. Livestock and underground mineral resources, such as uranium, further contaminate the ground water with heavy metals and other harmful substances. These contaminants make the water unsafe for drinking and can result in a wide range of health complications, such as lead or nitrate poisoning that can cause kidney disease. The contaminants also hinder regular, safe sanitation practices, such as handwashing and bathing. In such communities this has resulted a higher prevalence of preventable diseases caused by pathogens such as E. coli and rotavirus. Higher temperatures in arid areas mean that people need to consume more water than people who reside in more temperate climates. Therefore, exposure rates are much higher with contaminants accumulating at a greater rate, culminating in rapid and more frequent cases of health issues or long-term complications. Water contamination issues mean that other types of drinks may be consumed to maintain hydration. Alternative options, such as soft drinks, can negatively impact health as they are associated with conditions including obesity and diabetes.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities challenged with water contamination and supply issues are seeking to resolve the problems through innovative scientific solutions and modern technologies, in partnership with scientific research and funding from government organisations. Arrernte Elders of Central Australia are investigating solar-powered water treatment plants as a solution to the water contamination problem, and they plan to monitor health outcomes in the surrounding communities. Solar-powered water purification plants can potentially remove up to 99.9 per cent of toxic heavy metals from the underground bore water currently consumed by remote communities. The water purification strategy is being driven by the local central Australian communities who framed a proposal to develop, trial and test the outcomes of the project, in their endeavour to meet the needs of the community.

Community engagement is actively driving the implementation of scientific solutions to address water contamination issues, in particular, identification of a suitable site for installation of the plant and identification of the technology that best meets the needs of the community. Local Aboriginal community members are being trained in the installation, maintenance and monitoring of the plants in their community. The training program ensures that the technological solution remains managed and sustained within the community rather than relying on external technicians, flown in at great expense, for repairs or routine servicing. The installation and successful operation of water treatment plants requires key actions: an initial evaluation of the existing infrastructure, calculation of the volume of water required for drinking, cooking and sanitation purposes, analysis of climate conditions and a chemical analysis of the existing bore water supply for evaluation of the treatment strategy. Development, delivery and implementation of these scientific solutions by local communities ensures that cultural values and self-sustainability remain at the forefront in resolving these problems.

The term arid refers to those environments where there is a severe lack of available water, and while tropical areas are not normally equated with arid climates, they can experience extreme seasonal aridity. Water is rationed in some remote communities in tropical Australia during the dry season in order to conserve the water supplies. For example, some communities in the Torres Strait Islands can access rationed drinking water for only nine hours per day. While water tanks offer a potential solution to collect and store fresh water, many parts of Australia, including the Torres Strait Islands, do not receive enough regular rainfall to maintain tank supplies. In the Torres Strait, a program to supply clean water has been implemented. Community consultation has produced a program specifically designed for the region and the requirements of its peoples. The program builds capacity and self-determination in the community by training local community members in the technologies and water monitoring systems used to ensure water is safe for consumption. The program also works with communities to identify their water requirements and to develop awareness and implementation of water conservation strategies.

While many communities rely on existing scientific knowledges and technologies to expedite water contamination solutions, new technologies may be more efficient. An Aboriginal school student from the Kimberley region in Western Australia, engineered a water filter motivated by his experience with water contamination. His school project prototype uses neodymium magnets (a permanent magnet), carbon-coated mussel shells, and charcoal to filter heavy metals from contaminated water to safe levels. This promising method may offer small communities an innovative solution that converts heavy metal-contaminated water to safe drinking water.

This elaboration provides students with the opportunity to investigate scientific knowledges regarding water contamination and fresh water supply in parts of arid Australia and remote areas with irregular rainfall. Community-specific projects led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities offer scientific solutions to provide good quality water, critical for good health and wellbeing. This elaboration provides students with the opportunity to learn how projects led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are providing those communities with scientific solutions that ensure enough water of good quality is available. Students can learn how trained local personnel are responsible for the installation of fresh water supply facilities and monitoring of the water supply, for the benefit of the community.