Investigation into the Impacts of a Global Pandemic on the Ability to Properly Operate and Maintain Water and Wastewater Treatment and Management in Indigenous Communities in Canada, With a Focus on First Nations ...

• Main Author: Adebayo, Feyisetan
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Schulich School of Engineering 2022
• Subjects: COVID-19 pandemic; impacts assessments; emergency planning; water and wastewater utilities; First Nations; Indigenous communities; Qualitative Analysis; Thematic Content Analysis; Grounded Theory; Engineering; Engineering > Civil; Engineering > Environmental
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/prism/40283; https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/115277

The COVID-19 pandemic spurted research studies on impacts monitoring and emergency planning in the water sector, especially in utility operations. However, studies on Indigenous communities were not significantly explored despite the history of vulnerability to previous pandemics. Considering that the financial and infrastructural gaps had rendered the First Nations' water systems vulnerable to contamination and other crises, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the possibility of increased vulnerability for water and wastewater utilities. Since emergency planning strategies and frameworks for First Nations were primarily outdated, the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for new studies and updated information. Therefore, the purpose of this research was two-fold. First, it investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on water and wastewater utilities in Canada’s First Nations. Second, it explored pandemic planning and impact minimization mechanisms for future emergency planning. In this research, ...