Problems with the immigration department’s water treatment equipment has apparently led to dwindling stocks

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Detention centres on Nauru are experiencing serious water shortages and reserve supplies may run out, emails seen by Guardian Australia show.



Water restrictions are in place at the island’s three detention centres and one of the resettlement accommodation blocks, with managers concerned they may be unable to immediately replenish stocks for water tanks used throughout the network.



“We are currently nearly out of water,” says an email sent by the Transfield operations manager on Nauru on Wednesday morning. It continues: “Due to recent outages at the DIBP RO (immigration department reverse osmosis facility) we have not been able to build up stock so have been slowly going backwards.”



The email notes that asylum seekers detained at OPC3 camp – which houses families, children, pregnant women and unaccompanied minors – will not have access to laundry “except for emergency”. At OPC2, where single adults males are detained in two camps, there is no access to showers.



Guardian Australia understands that the two water tanks in OPC3 will run dry in eight hours if not replenished and four hours in OPC2. Drinking water is understood to be bottled and unaffected by the shortage.



The emails warn that Transfield is attempting to get water from other suppliers on the island but resources are already stretched.



Managers are aiming to keep water supplies available at OPC1, where children are schooled.



Water outages have been a common occurrence in the Nauru detention centres and asylum seekers regularly complain of a lack of access to basic resources.



A Guardian Australia analysis of a leaked complaints and requests database from Nauru revealed that only 12% of basic requests from asylum seekers – mostly for clothing items – were met between November 2013 and January 2014.



Immigration minister Scott Morrison has been contacted for comment.

