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The truth about water quality crisis: Do you know what factors are causing drinking water problems for Canada's Aboriginal people?
In Canada, Aboriginal communities have long faced drinking water problems, and many communities continue to be affected by drinking water warnings. Since November 2015, 144 long-term water advisories have been lifted, but 28 remain in effect in 26 communities. According to surveys conducted by Health Canada and other relevant organizations, the main reasons for drinking water warnings include disinfection, equipment failure and microbial quality.
These drinking water warnings are usually issued because of improper operation of the water system, such as equipment failure that causes water quality to fail to meet requirements.
In Canada, the long-term drinking water problem is not a new problem. Since 1977, several federal governments have investigated and invested in this issue. However, for a number of reasons, problems with water and sanitation infrastructure were never fundamentally resolved, leading to the issuance of long-term drinking water warnings. Many of these communities rely on older water treatment systems, and when systems fail or are not properly maintained, the safety of the community's drinking water is put at risk.
Until the infrastructure is upgraded, it will be impossible to add housing to the community.
From 1996 to 2015, federal funding constraints limited the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs' budget growth to 2 percent, regardless of population growth, inflation or demand. This policy has not undergone major changes during the terms of several prime ministers, which has undoubtedly aggravated the drinking water problem of indigenous peoples.
According to a report by Human Rights Watch, Canada is a wealthy country in the world, and most Canadians enjoy safe and affordable drinking water. However, the drinking water of many indigenous peoples is contaminated, difficult to access, and even because of poor treatment systems. There is a risk of malfunction. Especially for some communities, the quality of drinking water cannot be guaranteed due to the lack of appropriate equipment and professionals. For example, the Neskantaga First Nation has been under a boil-drink advisory since 1995.
Some remote communities, such as the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, have been under long-term drinking water advisories since 2006, reflecting poor infrastructure in these areas.
In 2016, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in his policy speech that year to allocate 4.6 billion Canadian dollars to improve the water quality infrastructure of indigenous peoples, hoping to fundamentally improve the drinking water problems of these communities. Subsequently, the government did allocate more than $3.5 billion to water and wastewater infrastructure, repairing, expanding or replacing a range of infrastructure. But many communities still face ongoing drinking water advisories.
As of January 2024, 144 long-term drinking water warnings have been lifted, but 28 are still in effect, indicating that improvement work still needs to be strengthened. Especially in Ontario and some other provinces, the status of long-term drinking water warnings shows that Aboriginal societies are still struggling to meet the challenge of improving water quality.
In most indigenous communities, crisis situations arise due to the lack of necessary water treatment equipment or technical training. This not only affects their quality of life, but also poses a threat to their health. Meanwhile, every time a new water source shows signs of problems, local residents must once again face the serious repercussions of old warnings.
For example, the case from Bearskin Lake First Nation shows that the separation and treatment of wastewater and drinking water quality in the community are not perfect, further exacerbating the drinking water dilemma.
However, as the government and the public pay increasing attention to the water quality issues of indigenous peoples, there may be hope for the future. The call for improving infrastructure from all walks of life is clear, not only for drinking water safety, but also for human rights. For these communities that have been neglected for a long time, with the promotion of policies and the implementation of practical actions, there may be hope to gradually eliminate this problem.
So, what can each of us do to improve this situation?
