JACKSON, Mississippi (Washington Insider Magazine)- Due to rain and floods, the Pearl River in Jackson, Mississippi, reached unsafe levels on Monday, leaving the city without a sustainable water supply, according to officials.
Due to problems caused by the Pearl River flooding, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced a water system emergency on Monday evening. According to him, many people had poor or nonexistent water pressure as a result of problems at the O.B. Curtis Water Plant.
The city issued a statement saying, “The water shortage is likely to last the next couple of days.”
Jackson, the state’s capital, already experienced water issues prior to the storm that raised concerns of Pearl River flooding.
According to ABC NEWS, testing on the city’s water supply revealed a cloudy condition that might obstruct the disinfection process and cause illness. As a result, the city has been under a boil water advisory since last month.
The city’s water system is unable to generate enough water, according to Governor Tate Reeves, who stated this during a news conference on Monday night.
According to officials, floods in Jackson, a city of approximately 153,000 inhabitants, was not as bad as initially anticipated despite the state seeing record rains.
The Pearl River was expected to stay at little over 35 feet but start a gradual decline Monday night, according to the National Weather Service.
In addition to the city’s announcement, Reeves indicated there will be declarations of state emergencies.
The state would also be in charge of an endeavor to initiate emergency maintenance and repairs to get the water flowing again, Reeves said. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency would supply water to residents.
Reeves said that the primary water treatment plant for the city had recently experienced damage to its main pumps and had been running without any redundancy or backup systems.
As a result of the water crisis, Jackson Public Schools announced that all classes will switch to online teaching starting on Tuesday.
