. 24/7 Space News .
WATER WORLD
Mississippi declares drinking water emergency for state capital
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Aug 30, 2022

Mississippi officials declared a health emergency Tuesday after historic flooding damaged treatment systems and left 180,000 people in the state capital Jackson without safe drinking water.

Governor Tate Reeves warned residents about the crisis and on Tuesday deployed the National Guard to assist in water distribution throughout the city.

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) said water treatment pumps had failed and there were low levels of water in storage tanks serving Jackson.

Many city taps were dry, and water that was flowing was contaminated or untreated, officials cautioned.

"We do not have reliable running water at scale," Reeves told a press conference late Monday.

"The city cannot produce enough water to fight fires, to reliably flush toilets and to meet other critical needs," he said, adding emergency services would distribute drinking water to residents in a "massively complicated logistical task."

Facing aging infrastructure, Jackson has been under a boil water order since late July.

Recent torrential rains intensified the crisis as the city's Pearl River has faced historic flooding, which finally started to ease Monday, Jackson City Hall said in a statement.

"It is no surprise that we have a very fragile water-treatment facility, and (the city's treatment plant) OB Curtis receives its water from the reservoir, and because of the river water coming into the plant, we have to change how we treat the water," Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said at a press conference, according to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger newspaper.

According to the MSDH, water treatment plants in Jackson do not have sufficient maintenance staff or certified operators to safely run the system, leading to potential for contamination from dangerous organisms such as E.Coli and Giardia.

Reeves urged residents to avoid the water coming out of their faucets.

"In too many cases, it is raw water from the reservoir being pushed through the pipes. Be smart, protect yourself, protect your family, preserve water, look out for your fellow man and look out for your neighbors."

Without water, Jackson public schools were conducting virtual learning Tuesday, with no return to school yet scheduled.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation.

"At his direction, we have been in regular contact with state and local officials, including Mayor Lumumba, and made clear that the Federal Government stands ready to offer assistance," she tweeted.

Jackson's water system has suffered "significant deficiencies" since 2016, according to an MDSH report, with lead-contaminated pipes often more than a century old.

The majority-Black city's former public works director Charles Williams told AFP in April it could cost up to $5 billion to replace the necessary infrastructure.


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
Pakistan floods: South Asia's monsoon explained
New Delhi (AFP) Aug 29, 2022
Floods in Pakistan have killed more than 1,000 people after what its climate change minister called a record unbroken cycle of monsoon rains with "8 weeks of non-stop torrents". AFP explains what the monsoon is, why it is so important and yet so dangerous, and how climate change and other man-made effects may be altering the vast life-giving but destructive annual weather system. What is the South Asian monsoon? The Southwest or the Asian Summer Monsoon is essentially a colossal sea breeze t ... 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 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

45 years after launch, NASA's Voyager probes still blazing trails billions of miles away

WATER WORLD
Saturn V was loud but didn't melt concrete

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

Maritime Launch to begin construction of Spaceport Nova Scotia

Glenn's legacy of testing spacecraft spans from Apollo to Artemis

WATER WORLD
An Unexpected Stop during Sols 3580-3581

New research sheds light on when Mars may have had water

A World of Firsts

Perseverance Makes New Discoveries in Mars' Jezero Crater

WATER WORLD
China conducts spaceplane flight test

103rd successful rocket launch breaks record

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

Shenzhou XIV astronauts to conduct their first spacewalk in coming days

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

Introducing Huginn

T-Mobile Takes Coverage Above and Beyond With SpaceX

NASA scientists study how to remove planetary photobombers

WATER WORLD
Chinese giant acquires French game studio Quantic Dream

AI spurs scientists to advance materials research

Tencent buys stake in Japanese gaming firm behind Elden Ring

Google's immersive Street View could be glimpse of metaverse

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.