State of emergency ends in Puvirnituq, Que., as water flows again

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 06, 2025 5:28 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

A authorities of exigency declared successful Puvirnituq, Que., 3 weeks agone amid a terrible h2o shortage is present over, officials successful Nunavik say.

But the seat of the Kativik Regional Government says the situation has shown "that inexplicable surviving conditions inactive beryllium successful this country," and that the portion needs more resilient h2o systems. 

The exigency was declared successful May amid a worsening h2o shortage successful Puvrinituq, a assemblage of astir 2,100 people. The occupation really began weeks earlier, in mid-March, aft a h2o pipeline that connects the pump presumption to the attraction works froze. 

Severe upwind conditions besides made it hard for trucks to cod h2o and present it to homes. The Quebec authorities ended up air-lifting 145,000 litres of bottled h2o to the community.  

The prolonged h2o shortage caused problems for the section hospital, which ran retired of h2o astatine times and had to alert immoderate patients southbound for care. Nunavik's main nationalist wellness serviceman besides warned that illnesses similar gastroenteritis (stomach flu) could dispersed rapidly arsenic the h2o shortage impacted access to sanitation, and officials past month ended the schoolhouse twelvemonth early.

In a quality merchandise connected Friday, municipality officials said things person improved successful the past mates of weeks aft a temporary h2o pipeline bypass was installed with assistance from the Kativik Regional Government (KRG), restoring the travel of earthy h2o to the attraction plant. 

"This is simply a stabilizing, interim solution until much imperishable repairs tin beryllium completed passim the summer," the merchandise states.

KRG officials say it's not the archetypal clip Puvirnituq has dealt with h2o organisation problems, and they blame "chronic underfunding of resilient h2o proviso infrastructure" that tin endure Nunavik's harsh winter weather.

Puvirntuq politician Lucy Qalingo said successful a connection that she's relieved that things person stabilized and that "the worst of the h2o situation has passed" successful her community.

"There stay steep obstacles to ensuring that Puvirniturmiut tin trust connected the existent strategy erstwhile they request it most," she said.

KRG chairperson Hilda Snowball besides issued a statement, reassuring the community that the KRG is committed to addressing h2o infrastructure issues "by immoderate and each means." 

"We are much determined than ever to marque governments accountable for providing a resilient h2o strategy comparable to what radical extracurricular of Nunavik instrumentality for granted," she said.