Walgett Indigenous leaders call for NSW Government taskforce to investigate town's ongoing water insecurity

The Walgett-based Dharriwaa Elders Group and Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service are calling on the NSW Government to establish an independent multi-agency task force to address issues of water insecurity in the town and nearby villages.

They say drinking water supplied to the town - which is pumped in from the Great Artesian basin due to reduced flows in the Namoi and Barwon rivers - is so high in sodium it poses a threat to community members with existing health conditions.

Exacerbating Walgett's water woes, the town's water is also without fluoridation.

"We need a multi-agency task force to improve Walgett's water quality and security comprising local, state and national agencies, drinking water experts and local ACCOs," Virginia Robinson, secretary of the Dharriwaa Elders Group, said.

"These threats to our public health would not be tolerated in Sydney so why is it acceptable that we have to live with them in Walgett?"

Experts from UNSW and the George Institute for Global Health say the sodium level in Walgett's water supply is 15 times higher than what medical practitioners recommend for long-term consumption by people with hypertension or renal and heart issues.

A mobile desalination machine was brought into the town to try to alleviate community concerns about sodium levels, however, it has been out of action since 2020.

"The drinking water in Walgett contains 300 mg/L of sodium during periods when the town's water treatment plant draws water from the Great Artesian Basin," Professor Greg Leslie, director of the UNSW Global Water Institute, said.

"Long term consumption of drinking water with these levels of sodium will exacerbate chronic health conditions such as hypertension."

Christine Corby OAM, CEO of the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service, said this is "deeply concerning" given blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes are common health issues in the community.

"Unfortunately in our community there is a high incidence of chronic disease. I believe this is going to worsen given the very real risks we know are associated with high sodium intake," said Ms Corby.

"I worry about people who have no choice but to drink straight from the tap. And I worry about how many people are not having enough nutritious food to eat and how this will impact on their long-term health."

"We are doing all we can to address the social determinants of health in our community, but we also need governments to do their bit to improve these shocking levels of water and food insecurity and support our local efforts."

In a survey of Aboriginal community members in Walgett and nearby villages of Namoi and Gingie conducted by UNSW and TGI in partnership with the Dharriwaa Elders Group and Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service, 42 percent of respondents reported having no usable or drinkable water in at least one month.

Further, 83 percent said they relied on bottled water in at least one month over the past year - putting them out of pocket up to $50 a week, 90 percent said they were concerned by the "quality, smell, contamination" of the town's water and 36 percent reported going to sleep thirsty in at least one month.

"The findings from the community survey paint a clear picture of why we need to work in partnership with Aboriginal community members and organisations to bring together local knowledge and leadership with best evidence around what is needed to address the unacceptable levels of food and water insecurity being experienced in Walgett," Keziah Bennett-Brook, program head at the George Institute said.

Water minister Rose Jackson and the Department of Planning and Environment were contacted for comment but did not respond in time for publication.

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