Australia Explained: Apakah air keran di Australia aman untuk diminum?

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Akses ke air minum yang aman sangat penting, dan lingkungan Australia yang sering keras berarti bahwa persediaan air minum kita sangat berharga. Dengan perbedaan ketersediaan dan kualitas air minum di seluruh negeri, bagaimana kita tahu apakah aman untuk diminum? Dalam episode ini kami meminta ahli air untuk menjawab pertanyaan ini dan banyak lagi.

Poin Utama

Air di Australia diolah dan dipantau untuk memastikannya memenuhi standar kesehatan dan keselamatan.
Pedoman Air Minum Australia adalah standar nasional yang memandu pemasok air kami.
Di sebagian besar Australia, air keran aman untuk diminum, tetapi komunitas regional dan terpencil yang lebih kecil menghadapi tantangan ekstra.

Di Australia, tempat Anda tinggal menentukan dari mana air minum Anda berasal — yang dapat berasal dari air laut yang didesalinasi, pasokan air tanah atau bendungan.

Di kota-kota kami dan sebagian besar kota-kota regional, air minum disuplai ke rumah melalui jaringan air utama pipa air bawah tanah.

Bisakah kita berasumsi bahwa air aman untuk diminum?

“Ya, di sebagian besar Australia air keran aman untuk diminum,” kata Dr Emily Quek, Ketua Co-Chairman Jaringan Spesialis Kualitas Air di Asosiasi Air Australia.

“Air keran kami diolah dan dipantau untuk memenuhi standar berbasis kesehatan yang ketat yang secara konsisten memenuhi Pedoman Air Minum Australia, dan utilitas air juga secara teratur mengujinya untuk memastikannya aman.”

Peneliti kualitas air Profesor Stuart Khan dari School of Civil Engineering di University of Sydney setuju.

“Sebagian besar waktu di sebagian besar Australia, jawabannya jelas 'ya'. Tetapi keselamatan adalah istilah relatif dan pasti ada pasokan air di Australia dengan tingkat keamanan yang jauh lebih rendah daripada yang lain,” kata Profesor Khan.

Pasokan air yang paling menantang untuk menjaga keamanan cenderung berada di komunitas regional dan terpencil yang lebih kecil.
Profesor Stuart Khan

Daerah terpencil seringkali memiliki akses yang lebih sedikit ke teknologi yang lebih canggih untuk pengolahan air dan pemantauan kualitas, atau orang-orang dengan pelatihan dan keterampilan yang tepat untuk mengoperasikan teknologi tersebut, kata Profesor Khan.

Apa saja Pedoman Air Minum Australia?

Ini adalah standar nasional yang memberikan panduan kepada pemasok air untuk mengelola risiko apa pun untuk menyediakan air minum yang aman dan andal kepada masyarakat.

“Pedoman ini tidak menentukan proses pengolahan khusus untuk mengolah air minum. Kerangka kerja berbasis risiko mengakui bahwa beberapa sumber air secara inheren lebih, atau kurang, rentan terhadap kontaminasi daripada yang lain. Jadi, jenis dan tingkat perawatan yang diperlukan untuk mencapai tingkat keamanan yang dapat diterima bervariasi dari satu pasokan ke pasokan lainnya,” jelas Profesor Khan.

Water experts Dr Emily Quek and Professor Stuart Khan Credit: Emily Quek/Image supplied; Stuart Khan/Iain Bond

Bagaimana air kita diolah?

Di Australia, proses pengolahan air biasanya mencakup koagulasi, filtrasi dan desinfeksi klorin.

Koagulasi adalah proses kimia yang menghilangkan partikel tersuspensi dan bahan organik dengan menyebabkannya menggumpal menjadi partikel yang lebih besar dan lebih berat yang kemudian dapat dengan mudah dihilangkan melalui filtrasi. Proses ini juga mengurangi risiko mikroorganisme patogen, seperti bakteri dan virus.

Air keran Anda telah melalui pendekatan penghalang ganda, termasuk penyaringan dan desinfeksi untuk menghilangkan zat berbahaya.

“Klorin ditambahkan ke sebagian besar air minum di Australia untuk membunuh kuman dan menjaganya tetap aman. Fluorida ditambahkan di banyak daerah untuk membantu mencegah kerusakan gigi. Kedua bahan kimia tersebut aman dan digunakan pada tingkat rendah, dalam batas-batas Pedoman Air Minum Australia,” jelas Dr Quek.

Dan langkah-langkah pengolahan air ini sangat penting.

“Meskipun ada beberapa kekhawatiran di masyarakat, fluoridasi air minum sudah mapan untuk menjadi sangat efektif dan praktik yang sangat aman,” kata Profesor Khan.

“Klorin terlarut sangat efektif untuk 'membunuh', atau menonaktifkan, mikroorganisme patogen yang jika tidak akan membahayakan kita.”

Disinfeksi air minum dengan klorin telah menyelamatkan jutaan nyawa sepanjang abad terakhir.
Profesor Stuart Khan

Mengapa kualitas dan rasa air bervariasi di seluruh Australia?

Kualitas air minum dapat bervariasi bahkan di antara ibu kota kita. Ini sebagian karena variasi sumber air, Profesor Khan menjelaskan.

“Beberapa kota ini bergantung pada air tanah, yang dapat bervariasi dalam komposisi mineral dan garam. Beberapa menggunakan air dari danau atau bendungan dan ini dapat dipengaruhi oleh pertumbuhan alga. Banyak dari kota-kota ini melengkapi air minum mereka dengan air laut yang didesalinasi, yang sangat dimurnikan, tetapi juga merupakan sumber variabilitas lain.

Warragamba Dam provides drinking water for Sydney. Credit: Deeva Sood/Unsplash

Di daerah, ada beberapa faktor yang dapat mempengaruhi kualitas air minum lokal.

“Di daerah pedesaan dan terpencil, air minum dapat berasal dari berbagai sumber termasuk lubang, sungai, atau tangki air hujan. Tingkat perawatan dan ketahanan sistem dapat bervariasi tergantung pada infrastruktur lokal, dukungan operasional, dan kondisi lingkungan,” kata Dr Quek.

Ada juga perbedaan tergantung pada apakah air minum berasal dari air tanah atau air permukaan.

“Banyak komunitas terpencil bergantung pada air tanah, dan kualitas air tanah dapat dipengaruhi oleh mineral alami, hal-hal seperti kalsium, magnesium, natrium, atau dalam beberapa kasus, arsenik dan uranium. Penting untuk memahami tingkat apa yang mungkin dihadapi orang, untuk memahami risikonya,” Profesor Khan menjelaskan.

“Komunitas lain bergantung pada air permukaan, seperti anak sungai dan sungai, dan kualitas air dapat berfluktuasi mengikuti curah hujan dan peristiwa iklim lokal lainnya.”

Bagaimana jika peristiwa lingkungan berdampak pada air minum Anda?

Otoritas kesehatan setempat dan utilitas air akan memberikan panduan.

Merebus atau menyaring air dapat direkomendasikan sebagai tindakan pencegahan ketika ada risiko yang diketahui atau dicurigai terhadap kualitas air.
Dokter Emily Quek

“Jadi misalnya, setelah kejadian cuaca ekstrem seperti banjir, atau jika ada kekhawatiran bahwa hambatan pengobatan mungkin tidak sepenuhnya efektif,” jelas Dr Quek.

Sebelum tahun 1980-an, banyak rumah di Australia dibangun menggunakan pipa timah atau solder timah di pipa ledeng mereka.

Di gedung-gedung tua ini, pembubaran timbal dari pipa ke dalam air adalah proses yang relatif lambat dan sebagian besar terjadi setelah air dibiarkan diam di pipa untuk waktu yang lama.

“Jika Anda khawatir, biarkan keran berjalan selama beberapa detik sebelum menggunakannya, terutama di pagi hari,” kata Dr Quek.

Flooding events impact water supplies.jpg

Flooding events can impact local drinking water supplies. Credit: Wes Warren/Unsplash

Bagaimana jika Anda melihat perubahan dalam air minum Anda?

“Anda dapat menghubungi pemasok air Anda untuk mengungkapkan kekhawatiran. Apakah air terasa, bau, atau terlihat berbeda? Apakah kekhawatiran Anda berasal dari penyakit dalam rumah Anda? Informasi apa pun akan membantu pemasok air untuk mendiagnosis dan menilai potensi masalah,” Profesor Khan menjelaskan.

Anda dapat menemukan sebagian besar data kualitas air, laporan, dan hasil pengujian secara online, jadi hubungi pemasok air setempat untuk mendapatkan panduan.

Untuk informasi lebih lanjut tentang air minum di Australia kunjungi:

How to recover from floods and storms in Australia

How to enjoy Australia’s wilderness areas responsibly

Berlangganan atau ikuti podcast Australia Explained untuk informasi dan kiat yang lebih berharga tentang menetap dalam kehidupan baru Anda di Australia.

Apakah Anda memiliki pertanyaan atau ide topik? Kirimkan email kepada kami ke australiaexplained@sbs.com.au

Transcript

Presenter 1

SBS acknowledges the traditional custodians of country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways across Australia.

Presenter 2

You're listening to Australia Explained, an SBS audio podcast helping you navigate life in Australia.

Melissa Compagnoni

Access to safe drinking water is essential, and Australia's often harsh environment means that our drinking water supplies are especially precious.

Melissa Compagnoni

There are differences in the availability and quality of drinking water across Australia, depending on where the water is sourced from, environmental impacts, and the condition of water pipes and our treatment facilities.

Professor Stuart Khan

Drinking water quality can vary quite a lot, even in larger cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Melissa Compagnoni

Welcome to Australia Explained. I'm your host Melissa Compagnoni. In this episode, we explore how our drinking water is treated and monitored to ensure it meets health and safety standards.

Melissa Compagnoni

Quenching your thirst with a glass of tap water is both refreshing and hydrating. It's an important part of our body's daily fluid requirements. In Australia, where you live determines where your drinking water is sourced from, which can be from desalinated seawater, groundwater supplies, or dams. In cities and most regional towns, this drinking water is supplied to homes via the water main network of underground water pipes.

Melissa Compagnoni

So when you turn on your kitchen tap, can you assume that the water is safe to drink? We asked two water experts for their advice. Dr Emily Quek is the co-chair of the Water Quality Specialist Network at the Australian Water Association.

Dr Emily Quek

Yes, in most parts of Australia, tap water is safe to drink. It's treated and monitored to meet strict health-based standards that consistently meets the Australian drinking water guidelines.

Dr Emily Quek

And water utilities also regularly test it to ensure it's safe.

Melissa Compagnoni

Water quality researcher Professor Stuart Khan from the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney agrees.

Professor Stuart Khan

Most of the time in most of Australia, the answer is unequivocally yes, but safety is a relative term, and there are certainly water supplies in Australia with significantly lower levels of safety than others.

Professor Stuart Khan

The most challenging water supplies to keep safe tend to be those in smaller regional and remote communities. It's those communities which often have the least access to more sophisticated technologies for water treatment and water quality monitoring, as well as lower access to people with the proper training and skills to operate those technologies.

Melissa Compagnoni

As Stuart further explains, the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines are the national standards which provide guidance to water suppliers on the management of risks to providing safe and reliable drinking water to communities.

Professor Stuart Khan

For the most part, the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines don't specify particular treatment processes for treating drinking water.

Professor Stuart Khan

The risk-based framework recognises that some water sources are inherently more, or less vulnerable to contamination than others. So the type and degree of treatment required to reach an acceptable level of safety varies from one supplier to another.

Melissa Compagnoni

Stuart says that the typical water treatment processes used in Australia include coagulation, filtration, and chlorine disinfection.

Melissa Compagnoni

Coagulation is a chemical process that removes suspended particles and organic matter by causing them to clump together into larger, heavier particles, which can then be easily removed through filtration.

Melissa Compagnoni

Your tap water has gone through a multiple barrier approach, including filtration and disinfection to remove dirt, bacteria, viruses and other harmful substances, as Emily explains,

Dr Emily Quek

Chlorine is added to most drinking water in Australia to kill germs and keep it safe. Fluoride is added in many areas to help prevent tooth decay. Both chemicals are safe and are used at low levels within the limits of Australian drinking water guidelines.

Melissa Compagnoni

Stuart says that these water treatment measures are vitally important.

Professor Stuart Khan

Despite some concern in the community, drinking water fluoridation is well established to be highly effective and an extremely safe practise. Dissolved chlorine is very effective for killing or inactivating pathogenic microorganisms that would otherwise do us harm. Drinking water disinfection with chlorine has saved many millions of lives throughout the last century.

Melissa Compagnoni

The quality and taste of drinking water can also vary, even between large cities, Stuart explains.

Professor Stuart Khan

The first reason is due to variable sources for the water. Some of these cities rely on groundwater, which can vary in mineral and salt composition. Some use water from lakes or dams, and these can be affected by the growth of algae.

Professor Stuart Khan

Many of these cities supplement their drinking water with desalinated seawater, which is highly purified, but it's also another source of variability.

Melissa Compagnoni

Emily says in regional areas there are several factors which can influence local drinking water quality.

Dr Emily Quek

In rural and remote areas, drinking water may come from a range of sources including bores, rivers or rainwater tanks.

Dr Emily Quek

The level of treatment and system resilience can vary depending on the local infrastructure, operation support, and environmental conditions.

Melissa Compagnoni

And as Stuart explains, there are differences depending on whether the drinking water has been sourced from groundwater or surface water.

Professor Stuart Khan

Many remote communities rely on groundwater and groundwater quality can be impacted by naturally occurring minerals, things such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, or in some cases arsenic and uranium.

Professor Stuart Khan

It's important to understand what levels people may be exposed to in order to understand the risks. Other communities rely on surface water such as creeks and rivers, and water quality can fluctuate following rainfall and other local climate events.

Melissa Compagnoni

When environmental events do impact drinking water supplies, Emily says the local health authorities and water utilities will provide guidance on what to do.

Dr Emily Quek

Boiling or filtering the water may be recommended as a precautionary measure when there is a known or suspected risk to water quality.

Dr Emily Quek

So for example, following an extreme weather event like flooding or if there is a concern that treatment barriers may not be fully effective.

Melissa Compagnoni

Prior to the 1980s, many houses in Australia were constructed using lead pipes or lead soldering in their plumbing.

Melissa Compagnoni

In these older buildings, the dissolution of lead from pipework into water is a relatively slow process and mostly occurs after water has been allowed to sit still in pipework for an extended period.

Melissa Compagnoni

If you're concerned about lead pipework in your home releasing metals such as lead into the water, let your tap run for a few seconds before using it, especially in the morning. But if you notice a change in the quality of your drinking water, it's important to know what to do, Stuart says.

Professor Stuart Khan

Customers can contact their water suppliers to express concerns, and this can be most effectively done if you can explain the basis for your concerns. Does the water taste, smell or look different?

Professor Stuart Khan

Are your concerns derived from illnesses within your household? Any information will assist the water supplier to diagnose and assess potential problems.

Melissa Compagnoni

You can find most water quality data, reports, and test results online, so contact your local water supplier for guidance.

Melissa Compagnoni

So the next time you pour yourself a glass of water, you can rest easy knowing that there are standards and practises in place to ensure that it's safe to drink.

Melissa Compagnoni

Thank you for listening to this episode of Australia Explained, written and produced by Phil Tucak and hosted and mixed by me, Melissa Compagnoni. Australia Explained managing editor is Roza Germian.

Presenter 2

This was an SBS audio podcast. For more Australia Explained stories, visit sbs.com.au/australiaexplained.

Presenter 3

Subscribe or follow the Australia Explained podcast for more valuable information and tips about settling into your new life in Australia. Do you have any questions or topic ideas? Send us an email to australiaexplained@sbs.com.au.

END OF TRANSCRIPT