‘This is really, really bad’: Puvirnituq water supply woes to stretch into June
Some community members have not had water delivered to their homes for 3 weeks
Puvirnituq has been on a boil-water advisory for nearly three months, with continuous water delivery problems facing the community. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)
As Puvirnituq approaches its third month under a boil-water advisory, some residents have not had water delivered to their homes for three weeks due to continuing infrastructure woes.
Repairs aren’t expected to start until June.
“This is really, really bad,” said Muncy Novalinga, a Puvirnituq municipal councillor, in an interview. “It is unacceptable.”
Puvirnituq Coun. Muncy Novalinga sculpts ice during the Puvirnituq Snow Festival in March, around the same time the village was put under a boil water advisory. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)
The community faces several problems with its water supply, the main one being that the pipe connecting the river pump to the water filtration system was damaged when it froze in late March.
Now, rather than pumping the water five kilometres from the river to the village, water trucks have to make the trek themselves. That has delayed services.
To make things worse, Puvirnituq has a lot of slush on its streets this time of year, which has caused multiple water trucks and civilian vehicles to get stuck on the road during their trek to get water from the river.
Also, Novalinga said, only three of the municipality’s five water trucks are available to supply the more than 2,000 residents in the community. The other trucks are awaiting repairs.
On top of this, the community has been under a boil water advisory since March 20.
An alternative to trucking the water in has involved the municipality sending people on snowmobiles with five-gallon containers to the river and back. That’s what the people who haven’t received delivery have done.
For now, the hospital and school get priority for water delivery.
Hossein Shafeghati, Kativik Regional Government’s public works director, said in a statement released Tuesday that the “thawing of frozen pipeline and replacement of a damaged section cannot take place until weather conditions improve and warmer temperatures sustain.”
A temporary replacement pipe and other supplies have arrived. Shafeghati said repairs will begin once temperatures are warmer.
“If weather improves, interim repairs to the water supply system can be made in early June, with normal operations resuming during the summer,” he said in the statement.
In the meantime, KRG staff are assisting the municipality in clearing the snow-clogged roads. They are also working closely with the municipality to acquire spare parts for truck repairs, meeting with community partners and testing the water supply regularly.
Novalinga said he was told the situation in Puvirnituq would improve this week.
“By Friday, if it doesn’t work, I think our mayor will declare a state of emergency,” he said.
Novalinga said he hopes the federal and provincial governments can help the community get a steady water supply.
“We have an airstrip that can land a Hercules plane,” he said. “Hopefully, they will do something to get us help.”
According to KRG’s latest drinking water test results posted May 9, six other communities in Nunavik are under a boil water advisory but none for as long as Puvirnituq.
Shafeghati told Nunatsiaq News in an email that circumstances change weekly.
“It is important to note that there is no trace of drinking water contamination in any of the villages,” he said.
Four of the communities under the boil water advisory did not submit their weekly test reports, and the other three are taking preventive measures due to technical difficulties.
“Boiling the water before drinking is advised when the water is not tested, or a part of the process is malfunctioning or manually operated,” Shafeghati said.
Justice France Charbonneau ⚖️ 🤑
If only water was beer, how thirsty motivation would spring into action. How neglected de have been made to get this ridiculous situation where it is today ? The amount of wasted funds on plane tickets and hotel rooms , making social stink , is phenomenal. It’s part of dysfunctional Nunavik at it worse. Does any of the leaders have any motivation to do their job ? Send in the army. Send in troops, and straighten out the situation, start with cutting off the beer belly desires. Save a life or two, and bring back the water.
What’s the reason for this , I mean the real reason ? A small community whereby a jet or two flys in every day, not considering the number of flights in and out. The little town is above and beyond any town in the country, financially, and money coming out of peoples behinds, yet can’t get the issue with drinking water fixed, this needs to be a documentary on, having it all, but having nothing ? Why, look at yourself. Wake up people, get out of bed and smell the life.
It goes way beyond water. Look at the issues with policing. How about Tamaani internet who is over $200 million in debt. The beneficiaries funds allotted to KRG have been mismanaged for years and the citizens are suffering. Immediate change must be made to safeguard Nunavik from a complete Quebec government takeover.
Citizen? The real suffering in Puvirnituq is the troublemakers that can handle their beer wine and hard liquor. Look at the graveyard. You saw it , look again. The death rate, the injuries, the crime. I can see the Quebec population of needed workers and their families moving in slowly but surely. Someone got to manage the mess. To help bring peace to the real good Inuit who are threatened by the new aged trouble makers that are ruining Inuit life.
Meet and greeters should go on a real worth while meet and greet trip to another Inuit similar community in the north, and learn how that community has overcome its water woe issue. Yes, used that wasted otherwise funding, buy some plane tickets, book the hotel, and go meet that other community with similar infrastructures. That would be a good meet and greet fly in fly out, and Montreal hotels will survive without that funding anyway. Just do that .
Sending in the hercules, getting government involved seems like the only way out of this. Its not like we can depend on any traditional knowledge when it comes this serious life threatening situation.
Wow, a lesson in sociology, if not history and medical science. Theres a community torn to pieces on the consumption of wine beer, and other liquor. The fabric is gone right out of the structure of a peaceful life. The children are at risk, the elderly are robbed of their pensions, the police the hospital from the tip of salluit to Montreal feels the pain. The graves are high pills as mountains of premature death. All , or most of this from the drink. Yes the drink. The priority drink of death and destruction of those who cannot handle it well. And theres plane loads, ship loads, warehouse full, but not a good drink of water for life, figure it out. That’s your homework for tonight.
As long as pops and booze are flowing in Nunavik, life will remain, meager lives but lives anyway. Nunavik is broken from top to bottom. No one can heal when since in the womb of their moms kids are still getting hurt, they are born ill, and society cannot heal without healed individuals. All organizations here are corrupted, poeple silently waiting, beneficiaries of the shadow, mouth open with no resources to take action, deprived of will, just dispossessed dependant; JBNQA has succeed in alienating a people, the tragedy has only amplified since the 70s.
I believe mentioning that all the patients in their health center have been evacuated as well to hospitals in and around Montreal. If this does not say a state of emergency is warranted. Then it shows that you really don’t care about the health, safety and well being of all Puvirnituq’s residents.
In1974 (post signing of the JBNQA), people learned that Puvirnituq really doesn’t take a “meet and greet” too well with the leaders. Still today that bridge has not been rebuilt because of the political issues that leave room for acts of terrorism that happened back then. No one is willing to take that chance of being s_o_ (fill in the blanks) at by someone who disagrees with policies. Current news that nunatsiaq is not covering lately with the homicides there is still heard around nunavik. Puvirnituq is a scary place that people in power would deal with only at a distance.. for their own protection.
Puvirnituq is an amazing community—who gets to decide otherwise?! It’s a welcoming place, and there’s absolutely NOTHING to fear in PUV! And as for meeting with the leaders—who says they don’t?! It’s just a handful of old-timers stuck in the past, assuming everyone is the same, stirring up nonsense that doesn’t reflect reality!
I agree with bla bla bla, and I think uh ok you are off the track, it’s dangerous to paint an entire community in such a negative light. Every place has challenges, but Puvirnituq is more than just its struggles. The entire community and its leader must focus on constructive discussions rather than fear-mongering!!
It’s ok you agree. Just look at the facts. Statistics say it is the most dangerous community in Nunavik. You’re free to look it up while you’re online.
I never felt in gander in PUV, if danger reflect the fact that people don,t have access to clean water, yes, indeed, people are in danger for their own health. I mean, albeit, the murder here and there, put PUV is not different than the rest of Nunavik on social drama in my humble opinion
I think you’d better catch up on your statistics. They do them annually. Many years now that Puvirnituq has been on the top for most fire calls, most police interventions, etc.
Hard pill to swallow but I do believe it’s because the population does not take a good look in the mirror and like to sweep it under the rug as some “social drama” while they’re sipping their beer. This isn’t normal.
Reflect reality? Check your statistics before you make the assumption of how it’s a safe place and fail to acknowledge reality.
Muncy fought so hard to have beer sales in the community. I guess water is not as important, as long as the thirst is quenched with booze.
Big town like POV should have better representation to regional organizations . Many years of making big bucks and living it up should be over now
I find it funny how some are the first to speak up claiming how their society is positivie and great, while their society is also the one always posting on facebook and giving us access to a sad display of distress