Soldiers in fatigues have been called in to help as a worsening crisis has left many residents of Mississippi’s capital city without clean water. They are using forklifts and diggers to unload massive pallets of bottled water for distribution to those in greatest need. Water scarcity has long been a problem in Jackson, where 80 percent of the population is Black and poverty is widespread. This one, however, is particularly severe, with many residents without access to clean, flowing water for nearly a week.
Significant flooding hampered the operations of a critical but outdated water treatment plant for several days. Brown water, which is unfit for consumption even after boiling, occasionally sputters out when residents turn on the faucet due to the low pressure. ‘ The water in my house runs slowly. It’s a terrible situation throughout the city ‘, Mary Jones, a 55-year-old Jackson resident, stated.
The federal government has promised to help Mississippi resolve the situation. Major repairs are underway, but for the time being, residents must rely on bottled water delivered on pallets heaped high. Residents who visit a distribution site are entitled to two cases. Many people linked it to the Flint, Michigan water crisis that occurred between 2014 and 2016. The city’s water supply was dangerously contaminated with lead due to poor management and negligence.
Jackson is the largest city in Mississippi, one of the poorest states in the union. For years, the tax base shrank as more wealthy white citizens moved to the suburbs, contributing to the city’s financial woes. A quarter of Jackson’s population is now impoverished. One resident, who requested that her name not be used, described her typical day.
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