Jackson, Mississippi–Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba speaks to Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman about the water crisis currently happening in Jackson, Mississippi.
More than 180,000 residents are currently without clean water to bathe, drink or flush the toilet.
There are currently centers where Jackson residents are lining up to receive bottled water.
More than 600 National Guards have been deployed to assist with the crisis and to help distribute water.
Jackson is a majority-Black city and officials are saying this crisis could last indefinitely.
President Joe Biden declared a federal emergency on Tuesday in Jackson.
Read More: Jackson Water Crisis Has No Clear End Date, Mississippi Officials Say
Water has been cut off since the main water treatment plant flooded amid torrential rains. Lumumba says the emergency is the result of three decades of disinvestment from the state. “We’ve been investing the money that we have,” says Lumumba, who took office in 2017 and started alerting the state government of the challenges with the water system starting in 2018. “We can’t do it alone. We don’t have a billion dollars’ worth of resources to make it happen.”
Democracy Now!
Video: Democracy Now!
