Iqaluit community bands together as drinking water remains contaminated by fuel
Global News
The Nunavut capital's 8,000 residents were told on Tuesday not to drink the tap water after complaints started flooding in that it smelled of fuel.
When staff at Iqaluit‘s Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre heard the news last week that water from the city’s distribution pipes wasn’t safe to drink because of fuel contamination, they knew some people weren’t going to be able to get the precious liquid themselves.
The city set up two distribution sites where people could fill up jugs with potable water, and many were able to drive to the nearby Sylvia Grinnell River and collect it themselves to boil for drinking.
But Rachel Blais, executive director of the food centre, which runs a meal service and other community programs, said many people don’t have vehicles. Others, she said, have kids or work multiple jobs and don’t have time to get water.
“We know that we have a lot of community members who are experiencing homelessness, or don’t have access to transportation, or have disabilities or mobility issues, people who are elders, people who have children at home, the list goes on,” Blais said in a phone interview Sunday.
The Nunavut capital’s 8,000 residents were told on Tuesday not to drink the tap water after complaints started flooding in that it smelled of fuel.
City officials later said testing revealed a high concentration of various fuel components in a tank that supplies the water. The city has isolated and bypassed the tank, and once it is emptied and flushed, the authorities will investigate where the contaminants came from.
Tap water can still be used for bathing, showering, laundry and washing dishes, according to the city.
Blais said the first thing her group did was post a message on Facebook asking if anyone needed help getting water. They got calls and emails immediately, and at first their staff and members of their pre-employment training program filled the need. They then applied for and received emergency funding from Qikiqtani Inuit Association and Community Food Centres Canada to hire a full-time driver.