18 January 2020.
Introduction:
The Flint water crisis is an ongoing public health crisis that began in 2014 when the City of Flint in Michigan–which has a population of roughly 100,000–changed its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint river. This switch caused the water distribution pipes to corrode, as a result of which lead and other contaminants were leached into the municipal drinking water.Nine former officials who served the state of Michigan in the US, including the state’s former governor Rick Snyder, were charged in connection with a criminal investigation into the Flint water crisis.
Story so far…
- The problem began in 2014, when the city switched its drinking water supply from Detroit’s system to the Flint River in a cost-saving move.
- It was charged that the state wasn’t treating the water with an anti-corrosive agent, in violation of federal law.
- As a result, the water was eroding the iron water mains, turning the water brown.
- In addition to this because the pipe lines in the homes are made of lead and because the water is untreated, lead and iron began to leach out.
- Inadequate treatment and testing of the water resulted in a series of major water quality and health issues for Flint residents—issues that were chronically ignored, overlooked, and discounted by government officials.
- In 2015 dangerous levels of lead in the water were indicated by Environmental Protection Agency and Virginia Tech.
- This led to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, a serious type of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria and other health complications in thousands of its residents.
- However,this disease can be easily prevented by keeping the water supply system well maintained.
- In January 2016, the state of Michigan declared a state of emergency and in October the same year, residents of the city were advised not to drink the municipal tap water unless it was filtered.
About Lead Poisoning:
It is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead. Lead poisoning causes almost 10% of intellectual disability and can result in behavioural problems.