Ten new ‘hydro panels’ have been installed in the central Australian community of Irrkerlantye to provide drinking water, not-for-profit Children’s Ground has said.

Children’s Ground chief executive officer Jane Vadiveloo said the organisation had partnered with Source Global, a water technology company, to install the ten panels to provide better quality drinking water created on-site.

The Source Global website states the ‘hydro panels’ are like solar panels, relying on sun to power fans that pull water vapor out of the air, and that warm air inside the panel turns the water vapor into liquid water, which is then mineralised for health and taste.

Ms Vadiveloo said the remote Indigenous community had campaigned for decades for improved amenities including power, sewage services, and drinking water.

Irrkerlantye elder Felicity Hayes said life was tough in her community, and despite the new panels, community leaders say connection to town water supply was needed so they can meet all of their water needs, and they hoped the federal and Territory governments would support that.

“We live just 3km from the centre of Alice Springs. You can turn a tap on and drink the water at houses down the road from us, less than a kilometre away,” she said.

“The installation of Source hydro panels changes everything regarding safe drinking water for our families. The fact we can access our own high-quality drinking water right here makes a huge difference.”

Ms Vadiveloo said the organisation had identified numerous outstations and homelands, including Burt Creek and Mt Undoolya in the Northern Territory, that struggle with a lack of consistent access to adequate drinking water supply.

“At Children’s Ground, we believe that every child and family should have access to the essential services they need to thrive,” she said.

“Clean drinking water is a fundamental human right, and it is unacceptable that so many remote Indigenous communities in Australia still face significant challenges in accessing this essential resource.”

She said the collaboration demonstrated how innovative technologies can begin to address the critical, long-term issues of remote Indigenous communities across Australia.

Ms Hayes said while they welcomed the $150 million in new funding to support drinking water delivery in remote and regional Indigenous communities by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney the situation required an immediate solution.

“We want all Australians to join us in advocating for clean drinking water as a basic human right and to support efforts to address the issues that contribute to water insecurity in remote Aboriginal communities,” she said.

“There are real solutions that can work to solve these problems now.”