Community-based water demand management: socio-technical strategies for improving water security in Australian Indigenous communities

Abstract

Sustainable water management in remote Australian communities is a delicate balance between sufficient and acceptable supply options and appropriate and effective demand approaches. This paper focus on the evaluation of community-based water demand management strategies piloted in four remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities in Australia. Findings of the pilot demonstrate that from a systems perspective, community-based demand management centred around education and encouragement of residents to conserve and use water efficiently, provide greater opportunities for long-term sustainable water management outcomes that support building of social capital. To ensure truly transformative management outcomes, a toolbox of socio-technological strategies should be used including, where possible, smart metering of water consumption and use of water-efficient devices. A key element of this approach to demand management calls for a shift away from business-as-usual policy towards a flexible learning approach that involves genuine collaboration between water managers and Indigenous communities.