The discovery of worms in tap water in a Kimberley Aboriginal community has brought sharp focus on the provision of water services in the region, revealing very little of a $350 million fund has been spent on upgrades since it was allocated in 2023, the Australian National Indigenous Times reports. The Western Australian Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage told National Indigenous Times it was made aware of “issues with the water tank in Fitzroy Valley” on August 20 and collaborated with other authorities to undertake immediate action. However, local community leaders and other residents say the incident is indicative of a broader – and long-running – problem with water in the Valley. Patrick Green, a board member of Aboriginal resource centre Marra Worra Worra, told National Indigenous Times people in the Valley were dealing with “third world” conditions:
“We are still in a third world country – we have water sources that are substandard, we have worms in it, we have coffee-coloured water coming out in communities. It has been brought before various committees. I think there’s an allocation of more than $300 million to fix all this stuff but the departments that are responsible for it don’t know what to do.”
Blue Community Ambassador Erin O’Donnell stated:
“This is water apartheid. No way would this be acceptable in majority settled communities in Australia.”
