Water Corporation communication criticised over potentially deadly contaminants in Kimberley
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-18/ngumpan-water-contamination-kimberley-water-corporation/103334470 Rosanne Maloney
The chairman of a remote Aboriginal community in the Kimberley says WA’s state-owned water supplier failed to effectively notify the community after potentially deadly amoeba and bacteria were detected in their system.
On January 12, the Ngumpan community, about 100 kilometres south-east of Fitzroy Crossing, was issued an alert about unsafe water by Water Corporation.
The community was told to boil and cool water for drinking and playing due to the presence of thermophilic naegleria and E. coli in their water supply.
Ngumpan Aboriginal Corporation chairman Alastair Hobbs said he was never directly contacted.
He said as chairman he was disappointed he only found out through social media and had no opportunity to get extra information.
“We didn’t know there’s something in the water,” Mr Hobbs said.
“Finally, we found out through Facebook.
“That’s when the people[in Ngumpan] started being afraid, especially [when] they say it’s dangerous for the kids.”
Daily temperatures around Ngumpan at the time were in the mid-30 degree Celsius to low 40C range, which made it hard to follow the recommendations.
“It’s pretty hard for us,” Mr Hobbs said.
“There’s a store just up there, 10km from here, so we have to go buy drinking water through the bottle.”
All young children in Ngumpan, a community of about three dozen people, have since been temporarily sent to a nearby community to ensure they are not at risk from the contaminants.
It follows other remote Aboriginal communities in the region complaining about a lack of communication from the water supplier in the wake of the Kimberley floods.
Fixes underway
A Water Corporation spokesperson said an investigation was ongoing, but the contamination was likely due to a technical fault with the chlorinator on the community’s supply.
The spokesperson said the Ngumpan community was notified “within the hour” on January 12 via email and phone of the water quality detections.
“In addition, the advisory was posted on Facebook by Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services that same evening, and our regional service provider also notified community members in person when they attended the following morning for repairs,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the community would be advised as soon as possible when the water was safe to drink again.
Infection rare but fatal
Professor Stuart Khan, head of the School of Civil Engineering at University of Sydney, said the risk of infection from thermophilic naegleria was rare, but nearly always fatal.
Drinking contaminated water was OK, but infection occurred when water entered the nose by force — a possible scenario when kids were playing with hoses.
The water quality expert did not comment on the situation in Ngumpan specifically, but said contamination with the amoeba should always be communicated quickly.
“It’s very important that the communities be notified … because they need to be able to take action to prevent themselves from infection,” Professor Khan said.
Professor Khan said there had been a number of “very tragic” cases of infection in Australia over the last few decades.
“This is something we need to take very seriously,” he said.
He said the two contaminants found in Ngumpan should not be present if the water was correctly treated with chlorine disinfection.
Communication criticised
Mr Hobbs said he regularly found communication with the state’s water supplier to be inadequate.
After seeing the alert, he said there had been minimal contact and the community still had no information about the specific risks that were posed.
Mr Hobbs said he had not heard of anyone from Water Corporation attending in person, but hoped the response would be better next time.
“We have to cope with it, until everything is all good to drink,” he said.
Ngumpan (Western Australia) – Naegleria Species
Naegleria Species:
4 tests above ADWG Guideline 2012-2014
1 test above ADWG Guideline 2018-2020
“GUIDELINE No guideline value is set for Naegleria fowleri in drinking water, but an ‘action level’ is recommended for water supplies likely to be contaminated. If the organism is detected, advice should be sought from the relevant health authority.
Naegleria fowleri is a free-living, thermophilic amoeboflagellate which causes the waterborne disease primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). This rare but fatal condition has followed use of water for swimming, or domestic bathing. The organism occurs naturally in freshwater of suitable temperature, feeding on bacteria. Its occurrence is only indirectly related to human activity, inasmuch as such activity may modify temperatures or promote bacterial production. PAM has been reported from many countries, usually associated with thermally polluted environments, geothermal water or heated swimming pools. N. fowleri is almost exclusively aquatic, and water is the only known source of infection. Numerous nonvirulent Naegleria species are known in Australia.
PAM cases have been recorded from South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales; Naegleria fowleri has been detected in water in each of these states and in the Northern Territory. Australia is the only country where N. fowleri has been detected in public water supplies (Dorsch et al. 1983). Most of the available data on the density of N. fowleri in water relates to water supplies in South Australia (including the highest reported densities). In temperate Australia, significant seasonal cycles of density occur, from below one organism per litre to hundreds or thousands per litre in poorly disinfected water (Robinson and Christy 1984). N. fowleri detected at water temperatures below 18°C is likely to be present as cysts, which are not infectious, but which may seed a suitable environment.” Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011.