For the past couple of years in Flint, Michigan, the residents have begun testing positive to lead poisoning due to their water supply. Originally Flint received its water from the Detroit water system but in April of 2014 they began using the Flint River. The problem with this water system is it has very high levels of lead from the pipes and many other harmful chemicals still being discovered today. Residents of Flint have gotten many health complications from this, around 6,000-12,000 children have experienced a range of health issues, including brain damage. Flint Mayor has said that it will take around 55 million dollars to fix the issue with the pipes and has asked the Governor of Michigan to aid in raising these funds. So far 8 major law suits have been filed against the government for their involvement.
Personally this is a very serious problem, many people are getting affected by something they shouldn’t even have to think about. We use water everyday whether its cooking, cleaning, bathing, or eating we do not usually second think if this water is safe or not. The people of Flint do not have the safe water to drink or cook with and if they do use the water they have many serious problems can and will occur. This past Friday, February 5th, I got to witness the crisis first hand as part of an athlete outreach program.
We spent a majority of the day in Flint passing out cases of water to anyone who could come and pick them up. Also we took recycling bins and handed out recycling bags to help generate awareness of the city’s poor recycling system. The biggest effect on me was seeing all the small children in the backseats of their parent’s car. Knowing that these kids struggle daily just to have clean drinking water really got to my heart. I was just glad I could help in any way and plan to do so in the future.
"Flint Water Crisis: Mayor Says $55 Million Needed for Pipes - CNNPolitics.com." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.
"Flint Water Crisis | ACLU of Michigan." Flint Water Crisis | ACLU of Michigan. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.
Football, Spartan. "Flint Native (running Back) Gerald Holmes Returned to His Hometown Fri. to Deliver Cases of Water & Recycling Bags. Pic.twitter.com/yeVcKBgXMr." Twitter. Twitter, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016
Good for you to be a part of this program! I'm impressed to see the water crisis in Flint. We need to make every effort to protect our drinking water from being polluted ;)
ReplyDeleteLin Wu
It's good to hear about a problem that's so close to home. That first picture really shows the scale of the issue. Good work.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great topic since I have been hearing about it recently. Also you give me great details about the event and your opinion about this event is impressive.
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