No money to fix reserve's sewage problem: chief

People on the Roseau River First Nation who have frozen sewage in their yards may have to hold their noses indefinitely, according to the band's chief.

Raw sewagehas beenpooling on the ground near more than 40 homes in the Roseau River Rapids area since the weekend.

Local resident Tom Henry told CBC News on the weekend that the problem stemmed from pumps installed in the area over the summer, which he said are draining raw sewage out of septic tanks onto flat ground less than 10 metres from people's homes.

Roseau River Chief Terry Nelson said Tuesday there's nothing he can do about the situation, blaming the problem on the failure of makeshift drainage systems.

The houses need septic fields, Nelson said, but the reserve has no money to do it.

"Everything has to be paid for by chief and council. Chief and council are the ones that have to obtain the mortgage. We have to pay for the electricity. We have to pay for the water. We have to pay for the sewer. In some cases, we even have to pay for the furniture," he said.

The federal government does not provide the reserve with enough money for housing maintenance, he said.

"It's not because chief and council don't care.We've been trying and trying, but every First Nation across the country has said the housing situation is critical. This is the reality."

Officials with Indian Affairs said the sewage system is the band's responsibility.

Nelson could apply for funding for upgrades through a $33-billion reserve infrastructure program announced earlier this year, they said.

Henry said he plans to beg officials with Indian Affairs to come to the reserve,about 80 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg,in the hopes thatonce they see how bad conditions are, they will come up with a solution.