Millions in US face losing water supply as coronavirus moratoriums end

Millions of families in America risk losing running water over unpaid bills as moratoriums on shutoffs expire across the country despite record levels of unemployment and mounting fatalities from the coronavirus pandemic. Running water had been guaranteed to about two-thirds of Americans as hundreds of utilities suspended disconnections amid warnings from public health experts that good hygiene, particularly hand-washing, was crucial to curtailing the devastating spread of the coronavirus. But now at least 115 local moratoriums on water disconnections, including the statewide orders in Indiana and Ohio, have expired. That leaves 46 million or so people at risk of having their taps turned off even as the pandemic rages. Another 21 million people will lose the guarantee of running water by 1 September, according to analysis by the not-for-profit group Food and Water Watch (FWW), as numerous orders are slated to expire, including statewide moratoriums in Wisconsin and Maryland. Nationwide, more than 5.2 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the US, leading to at least 165,000 deaths – the worst per-capita death toll in the world. Yet, federal lawmakers have ignored calls from advocates to guarantee access to running water until the end of the pandemic by issuing a national moratorium on shutoffs, as well as providing financial aid for struggling utilities.“Our country is in crisis, people are hurting and our leaders are failing us. No one should have to worry about being denied water because they have fallen behind on their bills – especially amid a global pandemic. Congress urgently needs to pass a relief package that puts people first and stops all utility shutoffs across the country,” said Mary Grant from FWW. Access to clean, affordable running water was already a major problem before the pandemic, as record-breaking price hikes had plunged millions of Americans into water poverty. In 2016, an estimated 5% of households were disconnected due to unpaid bills – one of the punitive measures employed by utilities to try to force people to pay their bills on time. The full extent of America’s water debt is unknown, but a recent investigation by Circle of Blue, a water research organization, found that 1.1m households in 12 large cities owe a total of about $1.1bn to their water departments.

All data is taken from the source: https://www.theguardian.com/
Article Link: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/14/water-shutoffs-moratoriums-end-coronavirus


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