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one Aboriginal communities Canada is facing Ongoing water crisis This has prompted evacuation But some residents remain trapped in the area as officials report slow progress, local media reported.
As of Tuesday morning, about 700 people were reported to have been evacuated from the Kashechewan First Nation in northern Ontario due to ongoing issues with water infrastructure, including treatment plants and equipment that handles sewage systems. canadian national observer.
But as officials told police, some people are still trapped in the community canadian broadcasting corporation The evacuation of all 2,300 residents was slower than expected.
Rural communities are only accessible by air most of the year, canadian national observer Report.
Tyson Wesley, executive director of the Kashchevan First Nation, told CBC that “despite our requests for faster evacuations, flights are continuing at the same pace.” Local leaders are working with the provincial and federal governments to coordinate evacuations, according to media reports.
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the chief of Kashchevan Province, Hosea Wesley, declared a local state of emergency on January 4, citing problems with water treatment and wastewater treatment plants. On the same day, residents were told not to drink the water.
The announcement came after a water treatment plant pump failed in early December, CBC reported. This means the chemicals used to treat drinking water are not mixed together.
A spokesperson for Aboriginal Services Canada told CBC News that officials are currently conducting water quality testing and completing repairs at the water treatment plant.
Keisha Paulmartin, 15, told canadian broadcasting corporation Last week, some households were struggling to ration water amid the ongoing emergency.
Paul Martin told the media: “The problem is that some houses have a lot of children, some houses have three families in one house and one tank of water a day.”
Chief Hosea Wesley told CBC that “the response from both levels of government was woefully inadequate and did not meet the level of urgency required.” He also asked the Canadian Armed Forces to assist with the evacuation but said he had not yet received a response.
“We have asked the Canadian Armed Forces for assistance to expedite the evacuation of our most vulnerable members and to assist with the delivery of bottled water. They have not yet committed, so our people continue to suffer and we can only hope that no tragedy occurs until they are safely evacuated,” he told CBC News.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience Canada said federal and local officials are working together to address the crisis.
“The federal government, through Aboriginal Services Canada, is working with the Kashchewan First Nation and the Province of Ontario to increase daily evacuation flight capacity through private sector contractors while work is underway to restore water and wastewater services in communities,” a spokesperson told reporters. independent.
“We recognize the seriousness of the water crisis and the pressure it is causing on Kashchevan’s residents,” they added.
independent The Kashchevan First Nation, Aboriginal Services Canada and Ontario’s Office of Aboriginal Affairs and Aboriginal Economic Reconciliation have been contacted for comment.
Access to clean drinking water has been an ongoing issue for communities. In 2017, more than 20,000 people signed Change Organization Petition “Helping access to clean water on the Kashchevan First Nation Reserve.”
Last year, Tyson Wesley told globe and mail The community has faced several water crises in the past.
“We had a water crisis that went on for a long time before the government really responded to the situation we were in. Not being able to drink the water from the tap was a really dramatic experience and it’s still an ongoing problem,” he told the outlet.
“I look at my cousin now, he is in his late 20s, and even in the city he doesn’t drink tap water. It takes quite a long time to get rid of this mental habit,” he added.