The inhabitants of Jackson, the capital of the American state of Mississippi, are once again deprived of running water, several pipes having burst under the effect of the cold. The leaks, some of which have not been located, caused the pressure in the network to drop, paralyzing the water supply in much of this city of 150,000 inhabitants, 80% of whom are African-American.
Authorities have called for the water to be boiled, while it is still flowing, and declared a local state of emergency. Mayor Antar Lumumba admitted Tuesday at a press conference facing the “worst possible scenario.”
“We have to deal with an old and failed system that continues to give us problem after problem,” added the councilor, admitting the “weariness” of his constituents in the face of the multiplication of crises.
A cut in 2021
This city, one of the poorest in the United States, had already been deprived of water for almost a month due to a cold wave in early 2021. This summer, devastating floods paralyzed the water supply network, the pipes that supplied at best just a brownish liquid unfit for consumption.
In November, the Justice Department stepped in and appointed a federal administrator to oversee a review of the system. And the budget just approved by congressional officials allocates $600 million to solve “the water crisis in Jackson.”
Meanwhile, several drinking water distribution points have been opened in the city to deal with the latest crisis and, according to local media, the frustration of the inhabitants there was palpable. “It can’t go on anymore,” said Michael Broom, 34, at the Clarion Ledger.
Other affected cities
Similar problems have been seen in other parts of the southern United States, where the infrastructure has not been designed to cope with the extreme temperatures experienced around Christmas time.
Things were slowly returning to normal Wednesday in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Florence, South Carolina, but some residents of Asheville, North Carolina, remained without potable water.
Source: BFM TV
