The town of Jackson, Mississippi, is facing a water crisis that is putting thousands of people in danger. The beautiful town of Jackson, Mississippi, known as the “city with soul,” is in critical need of change. The issue Jackson faces today has resulted from neglect over the past decades. In the summer of 2022, heavy rainfall damaged a water treatment plant in Jackson, Mississippi, leaving 160,000 people, along with hospitals, fire stations, and schools, without safe drinking water. In many cases, these communities had no water service at all. The catastrophe in the state’s capital, where 80% of residents are Black and about 25% live in poverty, was not the result of a natural disaster but rather generations of neglect. (History of Jackson’s Water Crisis, 28 June. 2023; para.1) The drinking water system in Jackson, Mississippi, has suffered from severe safety and reliability problems for decades. Residents have endured discolored water, low pressure, oily water, and water with floating particles (Jackson Water Crisis 16 Jan. 2024; para.1). Jackson’s water previously had elevated lead levels, and its treatment plants have struggled to correctly and consistently filter and disinfect the water crisis.
The Republican Governor Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency, as thousands of residents were told to boil their water before drinking it. For some, the pressure in their taps was so low that they couldn’t flush their toilets and were forced to rely on bottled water for weeks (Why Residents of Jackso Mississippi are Still Fighting for Clean Water, 3 May. 2024; para. 1) The issue with the water crisis started in 2010 when a storm caused pipes to burst leaving many residents without water. Since 2010, many pipes have been repaired but not replaced, causing the continuation of breakage. In 2012, Jackson was put under a federal consent decree for violating the Clean Water Act. The EPA finds that Jackson has had at least 2,300 unauthorized sanitary sewer overflows in the past five years, resulting in unclean and hygienic practices. (History of Jackson’s Water Crisis, 28 June. 2023; para. 12-13)
The water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, is not a recent issue but a chronic problem afflicting the city for years. Between March 2020 and February 2022, the town reported a staggering 460 sewer overflows, releasing over 100 million gallons of untreated wastewater. (History of Jackson’s Water Crisis, 28 June. 2023; para.1) This is not a problem that can be resolved overnight. Over 4 billion gallons of ‘untreated or under-treated wastewater’ have spilled from a city treatment plant into the nearby Pearl River. (History of Jackson’s Water Crisis, 28 June. 2023; para.1) figures are not just alarming; they are a call to action for immediate updates to sanitation practices. (Feds tap new boss to fix Jackson, Miss., sewage after years of spills, 26 Jul. 2023) The contaminated water in Jackson has led to numerous health issues among its residents, including cases of dehydration, malnutrition, lead poisoning, E. coli exposure, hair loss, skin rashes, and digestive problems. The lack of clean water has also forced many restaurants and businesses to shut down due to the scarcity of resources.
As Catholics, we believe that water is life. It is a fundamental right for every human being to have access to clean and safe drinking water. Our Catholic faith teaches us that each person is created in the image and likeness of God and that living conditions for everyone should reflect this dignity. Human life is sacred. The lack of access to water threatens human life and human dignity. Jackson, Mississippi, is a stark example of this violation of fundamental human rights. The neglect that Jackson is facing is a clear reflection of the lack of care for people experiencing poverty. With a poverty percentage of around 25%, the issue of impoverished neighborhoods and unreliable drinking and bathing water puts them at a higher risk. The city needs more funds to address this crisis. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba estimated that it would cost at least $1 billion to fix the water distribution system and billions more to resolve the issue altogether (Jackson, Mississippi, Water Shortage Crisis May Cost Billions of Dollars to Fix, 30 Aug. 2022; para. 4).
The people of Jackson are currently being denied their right to life, and we need to call for immediate action to force the government to replace the water systems instead of repairing the broken ones. The people of Jackson deserve the right to have safe, accessible drinking water.