Water is an important commodity on earth; if there was no water there would be no life. It is for this reason that the Flint water crisis in Michigan gathered much attention nationwide. The crisis in the town raised an important issue of how race and poverty is factored in the accessibility of water. Most residents in the town of Flint live under the poverty line; would it be the same situation if the residents of the town were affluent? The town consists of 57 percent black, 37 percent white, 4 percent Latino and 4 percent mixed race (Martinez). The proposal is relevant for stakeholders in state and government positions that deal with water accessibility.
The Flint water crisis began in 2014 when the source was changed from Lake Huron to the cheaper alternative of Flint River. Due to poor water treatment lead reached the water from the water pipes affected about 100, 000 residents (Martinez, 2016). Several studies revealed that lead contamination was present in the water hence the state of emergency declaration in January 2016 and the town residents were required to utilize bottled water for cooking, cleaning and bathing. Although the quality of water was back to acceptable levels by 2017, the residents still use bottled water until the lead pipes are replaced.
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The lead contamination caused suffering among the already struggling residents of Flint, Michigan. Lead is a common metal found naturally in the earth in the United States, it is mostly found in plumbing pipes and fittings. Water consumers may drink contaminated water through corroded pipes. The Safe Drinking Water Act passed by the United States Congress in 1986 restricted the utilization of lead-containing materials for delivering drinking water (Ebbs, 2018). Flint is an old city therefore most of its homes and water infrastructure predate the statute of the act that restricts the use of lead in soldering pipes. In April 2015 the state and city administrators built a pipeline to Lake Huron that connected to a more local water authority which could save Flint $200 million over the next twenty five years.
During the construction the state authorities decided to connect the town to the nearby river until the pipeline was ready. The use of water from Flint River was verified by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (Ebbs, 2018). Most of the residents complained about the taste and appearance of the water, months later even legionella, fecal coliform and total coliform bacteria was found. The General Motors plant in the town stopped using the water due to corrosion showing up on machines and equipment. If the water was contaminated enough to cause corrosion on equipment, how much damage could it cause on human organs?
Lead is very toxic to human body organs and it is specifically serious because it can damage the nervous system and especially the peripheral nerves and the brain. Lead can cause damage to all individuals but children are mostly at risk because they are still in the developmental stage. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality tested the water used in the schools for lead and the water was found to be contaminated. The children in Flint went from a rate of 2.1% of lead poisoning to 4.2% after the switch from Lake Huron to Flint River (Mohney, 2016). Lead poisoning causes peripheral nerve damage which consequently causes loss of the sense of touch and muscle weakness. Researchers often found that the myelin insulation is often inexistent and the axons are destroyed for individuals exposed to lead, the alterations therefore restrict the nerves from sending messages appropriately.
Lead passes from a mother’s blood supply system to the fetus where it settles in the baby’s bones, liver and brain. As a result of the exposure the babies could be born premature and weigh less than normal. Lead restrains the work of mitochondria in a developing brain. Mitochondria is responsible for energy production in a neuron; an alteration in its functioning destroys the cell. Lead may alter with what brain processes by restricting the neurotransmitter release and synapse formation. Lead affects certain areas of the brain such as the cerebellum, hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. The formation of the blood vessels in the brain may be altered and can consequently cause brain swelling and bleeding. Lead exposure in children has been associated with delayed growth, learning disabilities, reduced IQ, antisocial and hyperactive behavior and impaired hearing. Lead poisoning in adults has been known to cause digestion problems, joint and muscle pain, digestion and concentration problems. Water crisis in areas such as Flint Michigan have highlighted the problems that could arise if water access is limited to aspects of race and poverty. The residents of Flint were aware of the water situation before anyone took action; the gap in time was due to racism and poverty discrimination.
Solutions
There are certain solutions that could be implemented to deal with racism and poverty discrimination in water access to avoid situations such as the Flint Water Crisis. The human right to water lies under the category of social, economic and cultural rights. Included in the human right to water are standards for availability, affordability, acceptability and quality; each must be fulfilled for individuals to enjoy the right. Access to water must not be compromised based on aspects of race and levels of poverty. There should be improved engagement between the government and community to ensure meaningful participation in identifying water challenges and establishing responsive and sustainable solutions. Improving engagement between state and federal officials would have reduced the time gap for flint Michigan residents to report the water crisis.
Access to water should not be limited by aspects of race and poverty; the state and federal authorities should endeavor to provide access to clean and affordable water despite of a citizen’s race or level of poverty. That could be done through assessing water sources and determining the state of pipes to ensure that contamination does not occur. The state and nation should ensure that services are affordable through payment waivers and subsidy structures. The state and government authorities should ensure that standards are set to regulate performance of service providers to ensure sustainability of services and provision to areas discriminated against. The public should be educated on their right to water so they can speak out whenever they are discriminated against. A strong legal framework should be instituted to guarantee that all individuals enjoy access to water and sanitation on the basis on non-discrimination. Although laws that guarantee equality exist in the United States enforceability has been a problem hence the existence of crises such as in Flint, Michigan. Targets should be set to achieve basic services for all; they should be ambitious and realistic. National strategies should be developed to regulate policymaking and allocation of budgets. In cases where citizens have been discriminated against, citizens should have access to justice. Roles and responsibilities should be described clearly and oversights mechanisms established in water and sanitation service provision. The states and government authorities should ensure that effective remedies are established for violations of laws that ensure equality. State and national authorities should determine and lift barriers faced when accessing justice examples of these barriers include accessibility, lack of awareness, financial and cultural barriers.
References
Martinez, M. (January, 2016). Flint, Michigan: Did Race and Poverty Factor into the Water Crisis. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/26/us/flint-michigan-water-crisis-race-poverty/index.html
Mohney, G. (January 19, 2016). Flint Water Crisis: What’s Being Done to Expose Children Exposed to Lead. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Health/flint-water-crisis-children-exposed-lead/story?id=36376739
Ebbs, S. (July 19, 2018). Lapses at all levels of government made Flint Water Crisis Worse: Watchdog. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lapses-levels-government-made-flint-water-crisis-worse/story?id=56677511
