A translation by Judith Turcotte.
The war between the United States and Iran reminds us that drinking water is a vital need for the population of the entire planet. Gulf countries depend on desalination plants for between 42% and 90% of their supply of drinking water. Quatar, according to some sources, would obtain 99% of its needs for drinking water thanks to desalination. These countries depend on seawater which must be desalinated before consumption. We are privileged that this need for us is relatively easy to fulfill thanks to the St. Lawrence River. Access to drinking water is not something we think of daily; however, it is not the case for a large part of the population on the planet such as the Gulf countries who find themselves in a war zone.
It is easy to understand that the desalination infrastructure could represent an attractive target during an armed conflict, especially for an individual without morals like President Trump for whom the end justifies the means. During the different reports on the war in Iran, it was frequently mentioned that the desalination plants were considered as essential infrastructure that should not be touched. A destroyed desalination plant takes two to four years to rebuild.
For us in Canada and for a part of the United States, we have abundant sources of fresh water and desalination is not part of our vocabulary. The St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, our rivers and lakes represent one of the most important reservoirs of fresh water in the world. More than 40 million people live on the shores of this reservoir and depend on this water for their consumption and the irrigation of their farmlands. We worry with reason about the pollution of this water and the effects of global warming on this reservoir. We must also monitor the quantity of water available. Populations on the outside, including the southern states, will one day want to tap into this resource.
Despite the abundance of drinking water of our lakes and rivers, more than 9 million Canadians depend on underground water. In Québec, 10% of our territory is covered by fresh water. Despite this situation, the underground water feeds 25% of the population. This water is located in a layer of porous and permeable rocks into which water can infiltrate. This underground water supplies drinking water but is also used for the irrigation of farmlands. Its availability is monitored by the different levels of government because it represents a resource which does not always renew itself at the pace of its use. In Québec, desalination is not used for the supply of drinking water. It exists only for industrial, military or technology purposes that can be exported.