9.8 per cent of Canada's main water supply pipes in poor condition: report

 

It is reported that some of Canada's main water supply pipes may be partially or completely damaged every five kilometers. The report comes in the wake of major water supply pipe bursts in Calgary and Montreal, disrupting water supply and flooding across the city. A water supply pipe was damaged in Montreal in mid-August. In June, a major water supply pipe broke in Calgary and a local emergency was declared. Also this month, water restrictions were put in place in Calgary after a leak in a water supply pipe was discovered.

Statistics Canada survey data for 2020 shows that 9.8 percent of Canada's major water transmission pipes, like those in Calgary and Montreal, are in poor condition. Most pipelines are barely serviceable. The data indicates that there is a possibility of a malfunction occurring in the near future or posing a risk to public safety. Meanwhile, the proportion of small water supply pipes in poor or very poor condition has increased from 10.1 per cent in 2016 to 13.4 per cent in 2020, the figures show.

The state of pipelines in Canada's major cities is also dire. Data suggests that these are short-lived. In Ottawa, 22 percent of transmission pipes are in poor condition. 17 per cent in Vancouver and 11 per cent in Winnipeg are doing very poorly.