To the Editor,
It’s difficult to imagine that Canada has a water crisis, and yet that is the case. Not only are droughts becoming more frequent but also the quality of our groundwater is becoming polluted at an alarming rate due to the destruction of watersheds by deforestation, fracking, and mining.
Shamefully, many First Nations communities have had boil water advisories for years. One of these is in our own backyard at the Ucluelet First Nation. Another community with problems is Dougans Lake in the vicinity of Lake Cowichan. It’s time to realize that water treatment plants are not only an absolute necessity, they are a human right. At the time of this writing, there are at least 12 communities in BC with water advisories.
The irony of it all is that Canada controls 20 percent of the world’s fresh water supply. If we could only learn to clean up our own backyard, we could easily become world leaders for the supply of drinking water.
Consider that Port Alberni receives an annual rainfall of 72 inches. To get an idea of how much water this is, it means that every acre of land collects almost 2 million gallons of fresh water per year. Ucluelet and Tofino receive about 130 inches of rain per year, which would yield 3.5 million gallons per acre. The rainwater collected from just one acre of land in Ucluelet would be enough to supply the average water needs of more than 70 households for an entire year.
It’s time for Canada to become innovative with one of its most valuable resources. It doesn’t require a great stretch of the imagination to think of ways to collect and treat rainwater, nor does it require high-tech solutions. Fresh water is fast becoming a prime commodity as supplies around the world, including the United States, drop to dangerous levels. Now is the time to act.
Mark Blackham,
Port Alberni