robyn grey-gardner
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Water Safety Conference 2010. Robyn Grey-Gardner. The Community Water Planner Field Guide A wave of change in water management in Australia. Introduction. Background Development Product Adoption. The Clarence River (NSW) is a drinking water source for three Indigenous communities. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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