The callous exploitation of natural resources underlines the context that has created a mash-up of toxins – in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we ingest. Consider the state of water. Data published by UN Water show that over 2 billion people, or roughly a quarter of the world population, lack “safely managed” drinking water and 2.3 billion live in water-stressed countries. Groundwater accounts for a major share of human consumption and is threatened by contamination by fertilisers, pesticides, industrial and mining wastes, petroleum products and solid waste landfills. A Lancet report reveals that water pollution was responsible for 1.4 million premature deaths in 2019. The World Bank has observed that shallow groundwater in every populated region should be considered at risk of pollution.
Water Advisory Continues for Shubenacadie Grand Lake
The provincial Department of Environment and Climate Change is advising people in the Shubenacadie Grand Lake area to avoid using lake water over the weekend. The department is investigating water quality after a complaint earlier this week about two dogs dying after being in contact with a substance on the lakeshore. Rapid tests done on water samples from the lake on Thursday, June 10, were inconclusive. However, based on visual evidence from the time the complaint about water quality was made, the incident is being treated as a blue-green algae bloom. Additional test results will be available Monday.