Antinuclear

 Aboriginal community of Laramba, north of Alice Springs, drinking water contains more than double the recommended levels of uranium, and it’s been like that for a decade.

Billy Briscoe, a long-term resident, is deeply concerned about the impact that water is having on his family.

“The really important thing is about kids. Our kids need proper water, not with uranium. They need quality, really good water,” he said.

“We all drink the bore water … if there’s no water, how can you survive?

Official data obtained by the ABC’s 7.30 program shows Laramba’s water supply contains uranium at higher than 0.04 milligrams per litre (mg/L).

Australia’s drinking-water guidelines outline it should not exceed 0.017mg/L.

“The main toxic effect of short-term exposure to high concentrations of uranium is inflammation of the kidney,” according to the National Health and Medical Research Council.

“Little is known about the long-term exposure to low concentrations.”

Most communities in the Northern Territory rely on bore water, pumped up from an aquifer deep underground, which often contains high concentrations of naturally occurring minerals and contaminants — like uranium.

….. 7.30 can reveal that, in total, seven communities in the NT have exceeded health guidelines in the last financial year due to elevated levels of contaminants including uranium, barium, antimony, chromium and fluoride……A report from the West Australian auditor-general released in 2015 said three remote communities had exceeded the safe limit of uranium about half the time.  ……

Arrernte elder Bob Liddle took this fight to the Federal Government after what he saw as inaction from the Territory Government.

The Federal Government said the provision of clean, safe, drinking water was not a federal responsibility.

“It is a responsibility of state, territory and local governments,” a spokeswoman for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet said……

Mr Liddle said his biggest frustration was that he believed no level of government was taking carriage of fixing the water in his home communities.

“It’s an international scandal that this is allowed to happen in a country like Australia — a rich country like Australia,” he said.

“If that was happening in Victoria, you’d have a hell of a row. There would be politicians on the guillotine.

“Because they’re bush people and not a concern to politicians, they don’t worry about it.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-19/families-plead-for-action-over-uranium-in-drinking-water/9879748