Hydronarratives: The Confluence of Water and Environmental Justice

Conclusion

As often follows exposed tragedies, specific governmental actions were implemented in Flint that aim to prevent another occurrence of infrastructural violence. Now, a coordinated governmental effort aims to monitor the water quality more closely. Still, residents report “lingering household-level problems, the persistence of certain unexplained health symptoms, and their broken trust” in governmental officials who maintain their water. In 2016, the Michigan state legislature introduced the Human Right to Water Act, but it is still pending. Acknowledging access to safe water as a basic human right, the proposed law strives to increase the safety and monitoring of water for all residents, with financial assistance for struggling municipalities. There has been action taken at the federal level, too. The E.P.A.’s Office of Inspector General issued a report that noted that federal officials should have taken stronger action to correct repeated errors by Michigan regulators. The inspector general recommended that the E.P.A. check on states every year to make sure they are in compliance with federal lead and copper rules, to pay special attention to Michigan, and to improve federal responsiveness to water contamination crises. Despite these positive changes, one can’t help but feel that it is too little, too late for the people affected by the contaminated Flint water. Through no fault of their own, they were poisoned by a resource that most Americans take for granted - water from their taps. Decisions made to save money, without proper regard for the safety of a population that was largely African-American and economically disadvantaged, inflicted infrastructural violence on the Flint community.

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