Drinking water shortage in Mississippi: US government sends federal aid

Shortage of drinking water in Mississippi
:
US government sends federal aid

After floods in Mississippi, the water supply in the US state is interrupted. Aid workers have to distribute water bottles to the population. The US government has now launched support.

After severe flooding and a failure of recycling plants, around 180,000 people in the capital of the US state of Mississippi are without drinking water. The governor of the southern state, Tate Reeves, declared a state of emergency over the water crisis in Jackson on Tuesday and activated the national guard. This should help with the distribution of drinking water.

The governor urged the population not to drink the tap water: “Don’t drink this water. In too many cases, it is untreated reservoir water that is pushed through pipes.”

The conservative Republican politician emphasized that not only the drinking water supply was affected by the crisis. “The city cannot produce enough water to fight fires, flush toilets and meet other essential needs.”

The US government has declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing shortage of drinking water and has ordered federal assistance. The civil protection agency Fema is authorized to coordinate the relief efforts, the White House said on Wednesday night (local time). “We are committed to helping the people of Jackson and the state of Mississippi at this urgent time of need,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre wrote on Twitter late Tuesday evening (local time).

Jackson has long struggled with water supply problems due to outdated infrastructure. An order to boil tap water had been in effect since the end of July. Heavy rains and subsequent flooding have now exacerbated the crisis. Mississippi health officials said water treatment pumps were down.

(peng/mzu/AFP/dpa)

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