Thousands living in Canadian indigenous communities have had no access to potable water, some for decades, and Human Rights Watch on Tuesday pressed Ottawa to finally deal with this "water crisis."

Chronic water woes linked to defective treatment plants or contamination from nearby farming or resource extraction affects dozens of communities across the country, leading to hygiene and health problems, Human Rights Watch said in a 92-page report.

Of more than 600 indigenous communities in Canada, 89 are currently under orders to boil tap water before consuming it. Some -- mostly in Ontario province -- have been doing it for the past 20 years.

In a statement, Human Rights Watch noted the tragic irony of these circumstances in country with one-fifth of the world's fresh water.

The group pointed to a lack of regulations or enforcement, as well as insufficent stable funding for safe water and sanitation in these communities.

The report looked at water systems in 137 communities and cited negative health consequences from exposure to contaminants that ranged from serious gastrointestinal disorders to increased risk of cancer.

Households surveyed also reported skin infections, eczema, psoriasis and other disorders that they believed were related to or exacerbated by the water conditions.

Baths for children were also curbed, they told researchers, due to worries, after contaminants such as coliform, E. coli, Trihalomethanes, and uranium were found in water supplies.

"The water crisis is the result of years of discrimination -- compounded by lack of accountability," said Human Rights Watch researcher Amanda Klasing.

"Canada needs to tackle both the symptoms and the underlying causes," she said.

In March, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to bring water and wastewater systems in indigenous communities up to national standards within five years.

Human Rights Watch praised the announcement, but warned that past administrations have failed to live up to similar commitments.