Recently, the Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has made news with his statement that he will drink filtered tap water from Flint, MI. for 30 days in an attempt to prove that the drinking water is now safe when filtered.
This pledge to drink the water came after a visit to the city on Monday and was in response to citizens expressing that they thought he should drink the water first if his government officials are now saying it is safe to drink when properly filtered. See Vice New’s report on the situation or NPR’s The Two-Way for more information.
However, there are some problems with this ridiculous pledge made the Governor, and yes, I do find it ridiculous.
First of all, this pledge is making light of the situation a whole population of people has dealt with for two years now. His decision to drink the water for 30 days is like a scoff at the citizens’ genuine concerns and fears. It is also completely disregarding the fact that there is magnificent distrust in the administration’s ability to handle crisis situations.
But there are other problems inherent in Snyder’s agreement to “drink the water first.”
While officials are saying the water is now safe to drink when filtered, researchers are also saying the “water recovery process is lagging” due to hesitation from residents to use the water. There have been additives placed in the water which would re-scale the pipes, but because water is not flowing through them due to reluctance, the cure is not working. One reason cited for this is that residents to do not want to pay for water they cannot use: and this is why Governor Snyder was asked to drink the water first.
His decision to drink the water is almost a mockery to people who live in Flint and who have suffered the water crisis for over a year now. The fact that he can put himself at “risk” first also reveals certain privileges he has which others do not have.
It is a mockery because the researchers and administration are asking Flint residents to use the water in order for the cure to work its way through the pipes, and they are paying for this. But what if it doesn’t work?
If it doesn’t work, people have paid for more water they cannot use, and also may make themselves susceptible to more health risks. The refusal to use the water is like a boycott demanding something greater is done. If the cure to the Flint situation requires water to run through the pipes, why does the government not just pay for the water to run through the pipes for an extended period until the issue is resolved?
His decision reveals privileges the governor has to others because, first of all, 30 days is nothing in comparison to, let’s say, 500. But, we also know that if he did show signs of lead poisoning, or any other ailments, the cost of healthcare for this would be a near dent in his wallet. How big of a dent was ould it cause others in the community?
Lastly, why must people filter their tap water to begin with? Perhaps after the solution migrates through the pipeline, the rescaling will be as such that the water will again be drinkable without filtration? Perhaps. Nevertheless, it seems ridiculous to ask people to filter their water to begin with. But this is nothing new for Flint.
It seems like, for living in a nation who looks at others and says, “half of the world does not even have clean drinking water” or “we need to help them develop so they may live without the worry of finding clean drinking water (among other things),” we would do the same on our own home front.
Maybe Governor Snyder is drinking the water with good intention to show Flint that his administration has at last done something to aid their people, but he is neglecting to realize that the manner he has dealt with the situation has translated to many, both inside and outside of US borders, that an entire community may be treated as if they are expendable. And his pledge to drink the water first has also, in a sense, laughed at how “childish” Flint residents are for being reluctant to swallow their now fresh glass.
