Canadian government to send 80,000 litres of water to Iqaluit amid contamination issue

After the Nunavut government helped Iqaluit with its water crisis, the Mayor of the city, Kenny Bell, thanked the Nunavut government for coming forward to help in the hour of crisis. The authorities in Iqaluit declared a state of emergency after finding evidence of fuel contamination in the city's water supply. The Nunavut government has pledged to send in around 80,000 litres of water to Iqaluit so that the city does not face a major water crisis over the next three to four days, reported Sputnik.

According to a report published by CBC News, some residents had reported complaints of a fuel smell in the water, but the local authorities claimed that the water had gone through daily testing and it came back clean. On Tuesday, Bell ordered the city staff to open a 'typically sealed' tank based in a water treatment plant that distributes the water to the entire city. After breaking the seal, the team found a strong smell of petroleum products. Bell said, "We knew something was wrong. We're not 100 per cent sure if this is it, but it most likely is based on the amount of smell in the tank," reported CBC News.

Canada: Nunavut government sends 80,000 litres water to Iqaluit amid fuel contamination issue

Meanwhile, the public health advisory issued a warning, "Due to the possibility of petroleum hydrocarbons at the Iqaluit water treatment plant, the Department of Health is advising Iqalummiut not to consume tap water for drinking or cooking, until further notice. This includes boiled water, filtered water through commercially sold filters such as Brita filters, and filtered water through reverse osmosis systems. "

The health advisory strictly warned, "Pregnant women, newborns, and infants should not take baths or be bathed in tap water. Do not use tap water to mix infant formula". The notice further said, "Observations at the Iqaluit water treatment plant today found evidence of potential hydrocarbon contamination," the official notice read.

The residents raised the issue on October 2 on social media platforms, and a search operation was also carried by the officials who could not trace the source of the fuel odour. Samples of the water were also sent to laboratories but the results were clean. But, when the residents kept complaining about the issue, the Mayor reached the water plant in the city and opened the seal of the tank, where he too observed the same fuel odour. Meanwhile, the samples of the water have been sent for further tests to trace the reason behind the contamination.

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