Private Interests Valued over Human Lives in Flint, Michigan

Flint water tower. Credit: George Thomas / Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0By Phoebe BraithwaiteNEW YORK, Oct 16 2016 (IPS)When the water in Flint, Michigan was found to be eroding the engines of cars at a General Motors’ (GM) factory, government officials agreed to change the factory’s water source, yet the same water source continued to poison the residents of Flint for another year.From 17 to 20 October governments will meet in Quito, Ecuador, for HABITAT III, the UN’s most important conference about cities, which only occurs once every 20 years. HABITAT III looks to inaugurate a new urban agenda and set down goals about how cities can and should be responsible for the wellbeing of their inhabitants.Flint’s ongoing crisis demonstrates some of the challenges cities face, all the more important due to extensive urbanisation, which means that half the world’s population now lives in cities. Judging by the example of Flint, much more can be done to hold state officials to account, and protect and support the most vulnerable in society, as corporations become more powerful.In October 2014, six months after the crisis in Flint had begun, GM were given permission by the city’s emergency manager, appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, to reconnect their water to Detroit’s water source, Lake Huron, at a cost of $440,000. According to reporting by Democracy Now!, GM also took all the water fountains out of the plant, indicating they knew it was not fit...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Editors' Choice Environment Featured Headlines Health Water & Sanitation Source Type: news