Frozen pipe forces Puvirnituq, Que., residents to go days without water delivery

Residents in Puvirnituq, Que., are being forced to go days without water being delivered, due to a frozen water pipeline. 

In a news release issued on Monday, the Kativik Regional Government (KRG) said the frozen pipe was detected nearly a month ago, on March 17. 

That was after an extended blizzard, and to this day, the pipe still hasn't thawed. 

Mayor Lucy Qalingo believes a wire which warms the decades-old pipe, and keeps water flowing, was damaged during the storm.

That's blocking the flow of raw, untreated water. The pipe runs south from the village to the raw water pumping station, which is situated roughly 2.5 kilometres away. 

Now, the village has to send water trucks there to collect raw water and have it manually chlorinated.

"The extended travel distance on icy roads and prolonged loading times are reducing distribution efficiency," KRG said in the news release.

On top of that, Qalingo said two out of five water delivery trucks aren't working, and they are still awaiting parts for repairs. 

Some households haven't received water delivery for days on end, and she said the village is having to crowd-source for help to get delivery drivers and trucks, including from the school, the hospital, and Hydro Quebec. 

"It's been very, very difficult, especially people with a lot of family [members] and those with special needs," Qalingo said. 

"Plus, the water [pipe] … it usually flows to the hospital underground. So trying to keep up with the hospital as well has been very challenging."

Issues time and time again

The secondary school was forced to close early last week as it had no water – but that issue isn't new. 

Schools across the region, including in Aupaluk, Akulivik, Inukjuak and Puvirnituq, have closed several times since 2023 due to water or sewage problems.

Qalingo said there have been times when they've been down to one water delivery truck. The constant water woes, she said, affects their ability to fill critical jobs. 

"Sometimes we cannot fill in the vacancies of the positions that are important to the community, like trying to have a doctor or teachers. They know so much about the water issues in the region," she said. 

KRG listed a series of factors affecting the delivery of reliable drinking water. 

They include "water infrastructure limitations; limited capacity of alternate delivery by water trucks; retaining experienced technical staff; and inadequate funding to install a water delivery system that meets acceptable standards."

Plea for Ottawa to help

KRG said it's exploring another way to get water temporarily flowing over the coming spring and summer. 

Qalingo said it's getting some support from KRG, but the solution has to flow from the top – the federal government – to regional authorities to fix their infrastructure.

"Sometimes I wonder why the government doesn't want to fund the basic human needs ... in the region," she said.

"We are Canadians. We deserve the same treatment [as] other provinces."

In February's council meetings, KRG said it had 115 work-in-progress projects under the Isurruutiit municipal infrastructure improvement program worth $136 million, with $53 million allocated to drinking water, wastewater and storm water infrastructure.

A spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada said its department doesn't provide funding to KRG for water and wastewater services. 

"These services fall under provincial responsibility and are funded by the province of Quebec via the Sanarrutik Agreement."

Helping each other out

In the future, Qalingo would like to see an aqueduct built for the community. 

But for now, as authorities scramble to find a temporary and permanent solution, the village of roughly 2,100 people is doing its best to get by.

Qalingo said the village has recreated a hole in a river by the village. That's where they used to collect water before the current water pumping station was built. 

A strong community spirit is also getting everyone through, the mayor says. 

"We usually go get water from different houses. Like we call them, and say, 'do you have water?' And then we go get at least a gallon or two."