The remote Aboriginal community of Scotdesco received new equipment to allow residents to access clean drinking water this week.

It comes as the issue of water scarcity and quality in Aboriginal communities remains.

Scotdesco, on the Great Australian Bight, is not connected to any main water network, with residents relying on rainwater collected in the town's catchment dam for drinking water.

Droughts have regularly impacted the town, which often gets less than 300mm of rainfall a year.

The federal government pledged to address pre-election and this week saw Phase One of the Scotdesco Water Security Project enacted, with household rainwater tanks and gutters installed, as well existing pipes and connections replaced, with the goal of improving rainwater collection for the residents.

The current water pumping system has received an upgrade, with a new generator, rain gauge and chlorine dosing pump all installed.

Developed in consultation with the Scotdesco community, the government says the project will ensure a long-term and lasting solution to prevent water reserves running dry, as well as the issue of unreliable access to water supply.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, said every Australia deserves the "certainty" of consistent and free access to clean and safe water.

She said the new measures would improve access to clean and safe water, in turn offering a "solid foundation for enhancing the quality of life and health outcomes for residents".

"Thanks to the installation of new water infrastructure, the Scotdesco community can look forward to a future where access to clean water is not a luxury but an everyday reality," Senator McCarthy said.

The issue of water scarcity in remote and Indigenous communities has been brought to the fore in a series of troubling revelations.

Last month, National Indigenous Times reported on the prevalence of worms in tap water in a Kimberley Aboriginal community of Fitzroy Crossing, which brought sharp focus on the provision of water infrastructure and services in the region as well as how much upgrades had taken place since funding was allocated last year.

In 2023 the WA government announced the $350 million Remote Communities Fund to upgrade essential services including water and power and undertake "high priority refurbishments and upgrades" of houses in remote and town-based Aboriginal communities.

In a new report, Closing the Water Gap - Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities, University of Sydney's Professor Stuart Khan said "water quality issues are long-term, persistent and, in some cases, getting worse in remote communities".

The professor also noted there is evidence remote communities deal with mineral and chemical contaminations from sodium, uranium, fluoride, arsenic, and nitrate that exceed safe thresholds set by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

The federal government said the Scotdesco project was part of their strategy to invest in "essential services and infrastructure" for Indigenous communities, with the long-term goal of closing the gap in life outcomes for First Nations people.

"Every Australian deserves the certainty of continual access to clean and safe water, yet for some remote communities this basic life essential is out of reach," Senator McCarthy said.

The project will receive $650,000 from the Commonwealth's Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS), which will see a provision of other water security measures, including four large water storage tanks, as well as other infrastructure.

"The Albanese Government remains committed to ensuring that remote communities like Scotdesco receive the resources they need to thrive," the government said in a statement.