The Flint water crisis has been a well known life-threatening issue for nearly three years, and yet has still not been solved. The problem began in April, 2014, when the city of Flint, Michigan switched their water supply to the Flint River in order to save money. Almost immediately after the switch of water source, residents complained about the quality of water, while city and state officials denied the possibility of an issue for months. As time went by, the supply pipes had corroded and lead began making its way into the water supply, potentially endangering the Flint population, as high blood lead levels are especially harmful to children and pregnant women, and can cause “learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and mental retardation,”
The Flint Water Crisis is a state emergency in which the government decided to save money by switching over their main water source from the Detroit River, to the Flint River. This resulted in the residents of the city of Flint to be poisoned. The horrible conditions of the Flint River water caused lead to get into the water supply from the old pipes. This meant that the water was toxic with extremely elevated lead levels. Between 6,000 and 12,000 young children were exposed to drinking water with elevated lead levels in it.
People are both having their basic needs taken away from them. The Flint and Hereo and Nama people both are suffering from injustice brought to them by having basic needs taken away. The dissimilarities between them are the Flint residents only had the basic need of water taken away and the Hereo and Nama had all basic needs taken away. Also the residents in Flint were not taken away, their contaminated water issue was brought to them. Unlike the Hereo and Nama which were brought a place that didn’t offer any basic needs to survive.
In 2013, the state of Michigan decided that Flint would no longer rely on Detroit 's drinking water and instead
The water emergency that is at present holding inhabitants of Flint, Michigan is a standout amongst the most lamentable difficulties of late circumstances. It is all the more disastrous for being completely preventable. The hot-off-the-squeeze narrative Here's to Flint investigates the occasions which prompt this calamity, and offers a pressing and animating picture of common nationals who are intrepid in facing power.
A prime example is Camden, NJ, which is home to 103 toxic locations as well a many poor minorities, a situation you would never see in an affluent white neighborhood. The remaining citizens do not have enough money to relocate, and in comparison to the corporate money from the toxic sites, they have no hope in buying back the politicians who allowed so many toxic corporations to operate there. Their lack of agency subjects these individuals to a variety of carcinogens among other toxins, forcing them to stay and watch as so many of their children develop asthma. Another example of how environmental policy impacts health is the situation in Flint, MI, where a careless switch to river water as the main water supply without proper environmental investigation resulted in the lead poisoning of countless residents, including children. Furthermore, the government tried to tell citizens that the water was fine and hide and discredit proof that said otherwise.
I think a huge problem in our society is all this talk about the North Dakota Pipeline. In my honest opinion i think it is wrong. There is many people who use the water supply and if something happens with the pipeline it could contaminate the Native Americans water supply. There is many people who count on the water and use it everyday for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. If they go through with the pipeline act it could kill many Native Americans because we need water to survive.
I have seen instances where some of my colleagues have become sick from drinking tap water around the city. No matter where it is such as at their schools such as Pensacola State College or the University of West Florida, at their homes, or in public spots such as restaurants people have noticed that the water is extremely unsanitary. A quote from the DailyFinance article portrays this exactly “Of the 101 chemicals tested for over five years, 45 were discovered. Of them, 21 were discovered in unhealthy amounts. The worst of these were radium-228 and -228, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, alpha particles, benzine and lead.
On the shores of the Attawapiskat Lake, about 18 hours north west of Barrie, lies the band of the Neskantaga First Nations, where only a portion of the population remains. The other portion leave, because of the large amounts of poverty and the isolation. This First Nations Community has been under a water boil advisory for over 20 years. Their current water filtration system hasn’t worked since 1995, and even when it did work it removed sand and grit, but left in harmful chemicals. The government gives the Neskantaga people $250,000 annually, which goes towards running a water treatment system that continuously tests positive for harmful chemicals after being filtered.
With the Flint water crisis, this is shown when the article states, “the government acted in ways that contributed to the
The city of Flint, Michigan and its residents have been suffering from their own tap water for months. When a resident turns on a water faucet in their home, the water emits a strange smell and the color comes out brown. It turns out that water contains a high amount of iron and lead. What made the tap water contaminated? Why is the city unable to obtain clean tap water despite being under one hundred miles away from the Great Lakes?
The water that everyone uses, and that we all need to drink. The water started corroding GM’s car parts because of the flint river water. So Governor Snyder switched the GM’s water system back to the Detroit system and he left the rest of flint drinking lead contaminated water. Many people believe that Governor Rick Snyder should be recalled for many reasons. One reason many people believe
Rivers that passed through urban areas became a holder for human waste products. Factories began releasing pollutants directly into rivers and streams. By the 1850’s inhabitants began experiencing epidemics of cholera and typhoid. In 1969, chemical waste releasaed into Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caused it to burn into flames and the waterway became a symbol of how insutrial pollution was destroying America’s natural resources. Aditionally, mining activties also affected water pollution by increasing the amount of toxic elements released into the environment.
Laudal (2012) pointed out that as an economic strategy to internalize positive externalities, Canadian government, and environment-concerned royalties, could contribute to providing subsidies and technical support to private sectors in underground water exploitation. Fresh water shortage is actually beyond an issue of natural resource preservation, and it could lead to social and political instabilities when Canada will fight for limited fresh water and import it for domestic sustenance. Water is the source of life, and the material basis of the human beings’ survival and the social and economic development. Reliable, sustainable fresh water supply concerns the livelihood of every Canadian. Though seemingly alarmist, the issue of underground water tapping raises our concern for water preservation, in case that fresh water supply would one day ambush us, totally
Recent studies have shown that the water in Flint, Michigan has been contaminated by a horrible health impact, lead. This has happened because nearly two years ago, the state of Michigan decided to save money by switching Flint’s water supply from Lake Huron, to the Flint River a notorious tributary that runs through town known to locals for its filth. This has led to many terrible effects shown in both children and adults. The many effects lead has on children and adults are very drastic if not taken care of properly they could have lifetime effects. Dangerous effects lead can lead to that effect children.