robyn grey-gardner

Robyn Grey-Gardner

The Community Water Planner Field Guide

A wave of change in water management in Australia

Water Safety Conference 2010

Introduction

Background

Development

Product

Adoption

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

The Clarence River (NSW) is a drinking water source for three Indigenous communities

What is the Field Guide?

The Community Water Planner Field Guide is a resource package that:

• Supplements existing Guidelines and tools in Australia (the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and the Community Water Planner)

• Provides a resource to support improved water supply management in small Indigenous remote communities who generally have unregulated and typically self managed supplies.

• Has been developed specifically for communities with low literacy and numeracy skills and little technical training in water managementWater Safety Conference

November 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Australian context:

•There are 1187 discrete Indigenous communities in Australia

•Larger Indigenous communities rely on the planning and accountability of service providers and water utilities

•865 Indigenous communities have a population of less than 50 people.

•Medium to small Indigenous communities have fragmented services and limited accountability

Development of the Field Guide

• a ‘flexible and adaptable approach’ recognising the diversity of Indigenous communities in Australia – governance and water supply

• Engagement of multiple stakeholders was key to ensure different governance structures into the trial process and involve stakeholders at all levels:

• local, regional and national scales

• Indigenous organisations

• Universities

• Water utilities

• Health agenciesWater Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Development of the Field Guide

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Buru:Population: 20 peopleSource: untreated river waterManagement: self managed

Malabugilmah:Population: 50 peopleSource: untreated river waterManagement: Shire Council

Yuelamu:Population: 300 peopleSource: treated dam waterManagement: Water utility

Mandangala:Population: 80 peopleSource: untreated ground waterManagement: self managed

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007) Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey

Development of the Field Guide

Residents in small Indigenous communities usually have good knowledge of operational procedures but risk assessment and asset management are usually poorly understood.

The field guide addresses this with:

• practical workshop activities

• posters and pictorial materials

• a facilitated process

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Terry from Malabugilmah ready to flush the pipes

Development of the Field Guide

• their community

• their knowledge of water supply management

• how the materials could be improved.

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Community residents at Buru map their water supply

To assess the field guide materials, we surveyed residents in the four trial sites regarding:

Development of the Field Guide

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Samantha chlorinates her rainwater tank during a workshop activity at

Malabugilmah

Development of the Field Guide

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Helen (CAT) facilitates a community water supply mapping activity at Mandangala

Product

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

STEP 1 - Community Map of water supply

Product

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

STEP 2 - Water supply risk assessment

Product

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

STEP 3 - Regular maintenance requirements for assets and longterm asset replacement planning

Product

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

STEP 4 - Roles and responsibilities activity sheet for water services and support for all regions

Adoption

The National Water Commission has funded adoption of the product. Uptake is being organised though state health agencies, water utilities and Indigenous organisations.

A one day ‘train-the-trainer’ workshop will be run in regional and rural centres to build the capacity of people to use the product and manage water supplies in remote Indigenous communities.

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Adoption

Effective program adoption requires:

•Programs that span more than 12 months

•Annual review

•Shared management

•Site selection based on strengths

•Step-wise improvement strategy

A formal evaluation of the field sites and adoption of the package will be conducted via stakeholders across Australia Water Safety Conference

November 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Acknowledgements

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

The Field Guide is available on the WQRA website: http://www.wqra.com.au/cwplanner/CWPla

nner.htm