Calgary must be in a strange, dystopian time, where it feels like someone has turned the city into a giant settlement.
Of course, those who have never been on a First Nations reserve probably don't know what it's like to live without clean water, or any water at all, coming from their taps, but Calgary is sadly getting a crash course right now.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said crews and engineers are working around the clock to deal with the massive rupture in the Bearspaw South water main. All resources are being put to work repairing the pipe, which is 11 kilometres long and two metres wide in places. Robots are scanning its interior for further weaknesses.
Apparently, it will take a few days for the city to return to normal. If the city can quickly fix the water main and test the water to make sure it is clean enough to drink, it will be a great feat. If they can fix the giant pipe that provides 60 percent of the city's water, it will be a miracle like the one that suddenly saw paved roads appear in two indigenous communities during Pope Francis' visit to Maskwacis and Lac Sainte-Anne. It didn't take long to pave the way for the Pope's apology tour about two years ago. Maskwacis residents watched in amazement as the reservation's potholed roads suddenly smoothed out after decades of neglected infrastructure problems.
Calgary Globe readers share water-saving strategies
But until Calgary comes up with this latest ingenuity, residents are being told to limit their water usage: avoid long showers or full bathtubs, don't flush the toilet multiple times, delay laundry and running the dishwasher, turn off ice makers and humidifiers, and, obviously, don't water the lawn.
Of course, there is a citywide fire ban in effect, which means no backyard fires allowed, because fire trucks need water, and when they arrive at a burning home or business, they have no water pressure and their hoses are empty, putting lives at risk.
Gondek made it clear that “if we don't continue to reduce our water usage, we may actually run out of water. We may not be able to turn on the taps and nothing will come out. That's reality. This is no longer a scene from a movie.”
This isn't a movie, Mr. Gondek. This is reality, something many Indigenous communities experience on a daily basis. Communities without proper plumbing or the infrastructure to turn on a kitchen tap or flush a toilet have lived without clean water for generations. New water treatment plants are useless if water doesn't get to people's homes.
Neskantaga First Nation in northern Ontario is home to 374 people and has been suffering from severe water issues for a quarter century. I can't tell you how many times I've seen pictures of their children with skin infections that parents blame on the water. The community remains under a long-term drinking water advisory, but there are updates from Indigenous Services Canada that suggest they are working to resolve the issue.
I can only imagine what my friends in Tsuut'ina First Nation, just west of Calgary, are thinking as this unfolds. One of the most beautiful communities I have ever seen, with clear views of the Rocky Mountains, some Tsuut'ina residents have been forced to buy bottled water for years because the water coming out of their taps was brown and smelly.
Change happens when we make a commitment, but we don't need to wait decades to get buy-in from public and private institutions. Yes, this is not just about governments. The right to clean water is something we should all strive for, including those in the philanthropic and corporate sectors.
Try running a clinic, school or daycare without water. Try responding to a burning house fire with children trapped inside because the hose doesn't work and all you can do is watch it burn. I hope this never happens to anyone again, but until all of Canada gets its act together and supports efforts to build decent infrastructure in Indigenous communities, this is our reality.
Oh, and if the reservation dogs come your way, Calgary folks, beware! Hide away and give us a call, we'll give you some tips on how to deal with them.
