A rally will be held at the weekend "to show support to all the river towns suffering through the catastrophic disaster that is now NSW river systems".
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Mirroring similar rallies six greatly affected towns out west, the event is open to anyone who wants to show solidarity with communities that have run dry or are at risk of it.
A sausage sizzle will be provided and people are also encouraged to bring donations of even one bottle of water for Walgett residents.
Open to all, it is being hosted by Red Chief Local Aboriginal Land Council at Cohens Bridge on the Namoi River at 9am for 10am on Sunday.
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Chairman Mitchum Neave said it was "really, really sad that the river system is like this" and even though downstream communities were worse-affected, "that system is connected to us".
"What we're trying to do is support them as well as support our own river system.
"Walgett is surviving on bottled water, and not just them - other smaller communities around them."
When the river runs dry
NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) has declared Sunday a day of action, and local land councils will host When The River Runs Dry events at Bourke, Dareton, Dubbo, Menindee, Walgett and Wilcannia.
NSWALC chairman Roy Ah-See said the state and federal governments had "dropped the ball when urgent action is required to restore the health of our most precious resource".
"As the peak Aboriginal organisation in NSW, we are stepping up as the rivers run dry to get a better deal for our communities," Mr Ah-See said.
"These townships are highly populated by Aboriginal people, but this isn't just an Aboriginal issue.
"Clean water is a basic human right and the fact is, people living in those communities are being deprived of that."
Four demands
NSWALC has issued four points on which it wants to see change:
- the establishment of a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the management of the Murray Darling Basin to investigate "how this situation could have been allowed to deteriorate so badly";
- a state-level special inquiry to address what it calls the mismanagement of NSW water and river systems;
- a suspension of water trading in the Barwon Darling River system; and
- NSWALC involvement in all decisions about water management and planning.