Mississippi water crisis: No end in sight

Officials in the US state of Mississippi confirmed on Wednesday that at least 180,000 people were without running water in the capital city of Jackson.

The area has recently been struck by climate change-related extreme weather, including flash floods. The flooding has worsened an already serious water crisis in the city. 

Residents of Jackson, who had been under orders to boil all tap water before consuming it, were told earlier this week that large parts of the city would be without running water indefinitely after a breakdown at a long-troubled treatment plant.

On Tuesday, Governor Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency and said "until it is fixed, it means we do not have reliable running water at scale. It means the city cannot produce enough water to reliably flush toilets, fight fire and meet other critical needs."

Stores in the city say they have run out of bottled water and Mississippi has mobilized the National Guard to distribute it to affected residents. The state trucked in 10 tractor-trailers of water on Tuesday and was expecting another 108 trucks in the coming days, state emergency management director Stephen McCraney told reporters.

At a news conference, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said that the city appreciated the state aid, but his comments highlighted accusations that the Republican-led state house has been ignoring the plights of the predominantly Democratic and African American city for years.

"We've been going it alone for the better part of two years," Lumumba said. "And now we are excited to finally welcome the state to the table and all the valuable resources that they bring."

Later on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration ordering federal assistance to be allocated to Jackson and authorizing the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts in the state.

Breakdown creates havoc for businesses, schools

The breakdown occurred Monday when floodwaters seeped into the understaffed and poorly maintained O.B. Curtis treatment plant. An emergency team had the plant working at 40% capacity on Tuesday, senior state health officer Jim Craig said, and a temporary pump was expected to be installed on Wednesday and increase capacity further.

But the system was still short of sufficient water pressure to guarantee service citywide. 

The lack of water has become a nightmare for businesses and Jackson public schools, with nearly 21,000 students forced to move classes online as they had done during the coronavirus pandemic.

es/nm (AP, Reuters)