Time to guarantee water for all. New report: A nationwide water shutoff moratorium could have saved thousands of lives.
John,
Cornell University, in collaboration with Food & Water Watch, just released a groundbreaking report with some startling findings...
A nationwide water shutoff moratorium during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic might have prevented 9,000 deaths and nearly 500,000 COVID infections.
This is shocking.
The bombshell study we just released shows why our fight for water justice is so important. We’re leading the national drive for a full moratorium on shutoffs and a massive federal investment in our public water infrastructure. Congress must pass the Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability (WATER) Act to invest in communities and help ensure public water for all.
Last year, with your help, we stopped water service shutoffs in more than 800 communities and states, protecting two-thirds of the country for a period of time. But since then, shutoff moratoria that were in place have expired, and more than 72 million people have lost the protections we helped win. This research shows the pain and suffering caused by the COVID pandemic were made worse because political leaders failed to take action by issuing a national water shutoff moratorium that would have kept the water on for so many struggling families.
The research also highlights what the current emergency has made clear: withholding water costs lives. Public health depends on water access. Black, Indigenous, Latinx and low-income communities face higher disconnection rates and are more likely to lack access to basic water services. Without water service, people cannot flush their toilets, wash their hands or bathe. With emerging variants of the COVID-19 virus, it is critical to ensure access to water for all in order to help slow the spread and prevent infection rates from increasing again.
We have fought for water and won before, and we can fight for water and win again. To keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe, we need our federal government to step up and ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe, affordable water. It’s time for federal action on the WATER Act.
Food & Water Action and its affiliated organization, Food & Water Watch, are advocacy groups with a common mission to protect our food, water and climate. This email was sent to [email protected] - and we're glad you got it, because it's one of the most important ways you can reclaim political power, hold elected officials accountable and resist corporate control.
