150,000 Jackson, Mississippi residents are without clean water to drink, shower, or even flush their toilets.
The crisis came to a bulging head after excessive rainfall hit the city last month and water pumps failed throughout the region. Jackson’s water system has been so old, broken, under-funded and de-prioritized, that it has led to lead, toxic water and has created unlivable conditions for its mostly black residents for years now. So when the excess rainfall hit last month, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back — causing the city’s water system to fail, and making already horrible water conditions to reach another level of unbearable.
“I live in Belhaven, and some of my neighbors have been speculating the water is safer here because we’re close to a water plant but pretty far from the reservoir. Well… I just talked with my landlord’s office manager, and she said that many of their properties in Belhaven and Belhaven Heights are affected. Their office water is currently the color of “weak coffee”. — Molly Minta of Belhaven, Mississippi.
“I have collected a sample of the water to get it tested,” Molly continues.
Originally tweeted by Molly Minta (@mintamolly) on 09/09/2022.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who lives in Jackson, announced a state of emergency and warned that the city “cannot produce enough water to fight fires, to reliably flush toilets and to meet other critical needs.”’
AJ+ published this telling-video on how America’s racism and for-profit private water providers are directly responsible for inhumane living conditions Black residents now face, with no access to clean water in their homes.
Originally tweeted by AJ+ (@ajplus) on 09/02/2022.
