Supervised by:

Stéphanie Guilherme (Regular member)

Research project description

Characterization of the quality of natural sources of water in Nunavik.

IntroductionThe consumption of water from untreated natural sources is a common practice for a part of the population in some northern villages in Nunavik. This practice is partly due to the low trust in the quality of drinking water distributed by the community water supply system. Frequent boil advisories, although the majority of them are preventive, have an impact on public confidence in the quality of water supplied to households. However, drinking water from natural sources is not without risk and could be a cause of waterborne diseases. In recent years, health problems (diarrhea) in some villages in Nunavik have been reported to the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (NRBHSS). The population attributes these health problems to the quality of water distributed. It is difficult to define the origin, knowing that the same consumption of natural sources exposes to these problems. ObjectivesThe aim of this research is to characterize the quality of water distributed, as well as water from different natural sources consumed by a part of the population in Nunavik. The specific objectives are to develop a portrait of the quality of water from natural sources consumed, as well as distributed water, using physico-chemical, microbiological and genomic analyses and to evaluate the exposure of the population to pathogens through the consumption of natural untreated water, while considering their consumption habits. Study sitesThe sampling campaign is planned for the summer of 2025 in one village in Nunavik. This campaign aims to characterize the quality of water distributed, as well as water from different natural sources consumed by a part of the population. Material and methodsThis research project will be carried out in three stages: 1- Review of scientific literature 2- The preparation and implementation of a sampling campaign in Nunavik in the summer of 2025 to characterize the quality of water distributed, as well as from different natural sources consumed, in Nunavik. 3- Analysis of the samples collected, and data obtained during the campaign carried out in the summer of 2025. 3.1 – Physical and chemical analysis 3.2 – Microbiological analysis 3.3 – Genomic analysis ReferencesCassivi, A., Carabin, A., Dorea, C., Rodriguez, M. J. and Guilherme, S. (2024). Domestic access to water in a decentralized truck-to-cistern system: a case study in the Northern Village of Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik (Canada). Journal of Water and Health 22, 797-810. Cassivi, A., Covey, A., Rodriguez, M. and Guilherme, S. (2023). Domestic water security in the Arctic: A scoping review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 247. Harper, S. L., Edge, V. L., Schuster-Wallace, C. J., Berke, O. and McEwen, S. A. (2011). Weather, Water Quality and Infectious Gastrointestinal Illness in Two Inuit Communities in Nunatsiavut, Canada: Potential Implications for Climate Change. EcoHealth 8, 93-108. ITK. (2020). Access to Drinking Water in Inuit Nunangat. In ITK Quarterly Research Briefing - Autumn 2020, vol. Issue No. 2.

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