Inuit village in Quebec's Far North facing ‘severe' water distribution challenges
MONTREAL — Officials in Quebec's Nunavik region are raising the alarm over severe water distribution challenges in the Inuit community of Puvirnituq.
The Kativik Regional Government says the village's five-kilometre-long water pipeline froze during a blizzard in mid-March and has yet to thaw.
As a result, the town of roughly 2,100 people has been forced to bring in water by truck over long distances in extreme weather on icy roads.
Kativik says the water is loaded at a pumping station and disinfected manually with chlorine.
The regional government says water distribution in the region is affected by infrastructure limitations, truck volume, a lack of experienced technical staff and weather delays.
Kativik says it's hoping the weather will improve enough for interim repairs to take place in June and for normal operations to resume during the summer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2025.
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