. 24/7 Space News .
WATER WORLD
Mississippi capital struggles without running water
By Fran�ois PICARD
Jackson, United States (AFP) Sept 3, 2022

With an increasingly acute crisis leaving many residents of Mississippi's capital without drinkable water, soldiers in fatigues have been called in to help, using forklifts and diggers to unload huge pallets of bottled water for distribution to those in dire need.

The city of Jackson, where 80 percent of the population is Black and poverty is rife, has experienced water crises for years. But this one is particularly severe, with many residents lacking clean running water for nearly a week.

Days of major flooding disrupted the operation of a critical but aging water treatment plant.

So when residents turn on the tap, brown water -- undrinkable, even if boiled -- sometimes sputters out, under very low pressure.

"At my home the water is running very slowly. It's a horrible situation in the entire city," said Jackson resident Mary Jones, 55.

- White House gets involved -

"No one seemed to know how to solve the problem. But now that the White House has gotten involved, hopefully we can get some fresh, clean running water again, because this has been going on for years," said Jones, a disabled widow.

"It's utterly ridiculous that we have to go through this."

Indeed, the problem has received the attention of Washington. President Joe Biden has promised federal resources to help Mississippi resolve the crisis.

Major repair work is under way, but for now, people rely on bottled water that arrives stacked high on pallets.

Residents are entitled to two cases each when they go to a distribution center.

"I'm not able to cook like I want to cook, not able to brush my teeth like I want to," said Natina Thompson, a 41-year-old bus driver.

She said she was "eternally grateful" that the National Guard and others were now providing help.

Mary Jones said she goes to several sites around town to get enough water to help older people in her neighborhood who cannot get out.

"You need to sacrifice for our neighbors, you know, because that's what we do in Mississippi," she told AFP. "We love each other and we unite (with) each other in any type of situation."

People waiting in long lines in their cars to get water appeared patient.

Many compared their situation to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan from 2014 to 2016. That city's water supply was dangerously contaminated with lead because of mismanagement and neglect.

- Echoes of Flint -

"I hope we won't be like Flint," said Tracey Edwards, a retiree who blames this mess on city officials.

"We can't drink it. We can't brush our teeth with it. I'm wondering if there's anything hazardous in the water that, long-term, may affect the residents of Jackson," said Edwards.

"That's something we have to be aware of."

Jackson is the largest city in Mississippi, which is one of the poorest US states. City finances are troubled; the tax base shrank for years as many more affluent white residents moved to the suburbs. Today, a quarter of Jackson's residents live in poverty.

One resident who did not wish her name to be used described her daily routine.

"I need some water... because I do have grandchildren and children. And that's why I'm out in this heat trying to get it."


Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


WATER WORLD
Preparing for water scarcity using hybrid desalination technologies
Seoul, South Korea (SPX) Sep 01, 2022
Clean water is essential for human survival. However, less than 3% of fresh water can be used as drinking water. According to a report published by the World Meteorological Organization, there is scarcity of drinking water for approximately 1 billion people worldwide, which is expected to rise to 1.4 billion by 2050. Seawater desalination technology, which produces fresh water from seawater, could solve the problem of water scarcity. At the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, Presiden ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

WATER WORLD
NASA-funded technology helps relieve symptoms of menopause

NASA awards contract to demonstrate trash compacting system for ISS

Boeing eyes February for space capsule's first crewed flight

Voyager logs 45 years in space as NASA's longest mission to date

WATER WORLD
NASA Moon rocket ready for second attempt at liftoff

NASA says weather, SLS rocket look good for Artemis I launch on Saturday

NASA scrubs launch of giant Moon rocket, may try again Friday

Saturn V was loud but didn't melt concrete

WATER WORLD
MIT's MOXIE experiment reliably produces oxygen on Mars

An Unexpected Stop during Sols 3580-3581

MAVEN and EMM make first observations of patchy proton aurora at Mars

Sols 3568-3570: That Was Close

WATER WORLD
Energy particle detector helps Shenzhou-14 crew conduct EVAs

China conducts spaceplane flight test

103rd successful rocket launch breaks record

Chinese space-tracking ship docks at Sri Lanka's Hambantota port

WATER WORLD
Space tech: In Jilin, they build satellites

SpaceX and T-Mobile unveil satellite plan to end cellphone 'dead zones'

Introducing Huginn

T-Mobile Takes Coverage Above and Beyond With SpaceX

WATER WORLD
AI spurs scientists to advance materials research

Google's immersive Street View could be glimpse of metaverse

Space Station experiment to probe origins of elements

Selfridges targets 'circular' sales for almost half its goods

WATER WORLD
JWST makes first unequivocal detection of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet atmosphere

An extrasolar world covered in water

Webb detects carbon dioxide in exoplanet atmosphere

Webb telescope finds CO2 for first time in exoplanet atmosphere

WATER WORLD
The PI's Perspective: Extending Exploration and Making Distant Discoveries

Uranus to begin reversing path across the night sky on Wednesday

Underwater snow gives clues about Europa's icy shell

Why Jupiter doesn't have rings like Saturn









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.