Yuwaya Ngarra-li is continuing work to ensure safe drinking water for the Walgett community. While a reverse osmosis facility was installed in Walgett in May 2020, it was closed in September 2020 and there are ongoing concerns about the high sodium levels in Walgett’s drinking water. A Briefing Paper on Walgett’s drinking water management explains the issue. WAMS and DEG with Yuwaya Ngarrali partners Professor Jacqui Webster of The George Institute for Global Health UNSW and Professor Greg Leslie from the Global Water Institute UNSW trained up a research team and undertook a groundbreaking survey of food and water (in)security in Walgett in March 2022.

The results are shocking and the survey's Key Findings can be found here. The full report will be published in prestigious international public health journals later in 2023. Meanwhile DEG is installing a bespoke Reverse Osmosis chilled drinking water system in its main street premises to trial greater accessibility of high quality drinking water.

In February 2023 WAMS and DEG staff travelled to Sydney to begin our advocacy for the NSW Government to bring low sodium drinking water to Walgett and greater capability to Walgett Shire Council for its drinking water management. We made presentations to public health experts at The George Institute for Global Health, and to water industry experts at the Next Water 23 Conference. WAMS and DEG made a statement on 13 April 2023 when ABC 7.30 Indigenous reporter Carly Williams excusively broke the story nationally.The Australian town where water insecurity is felt more than some communities in Bangladesh. Anna Patty of the Sydney Morning Heerald also ran the story The town where Coca-Cola runs more freely than drinking water