Mississippi pump failure leaves 150,000 people without safe drinking water

The water supply in Jackson, Mississippi, remained unsafe for its 150,000 residents to drink or brush their teeth Tuesday after water treatment pumps failed Monday, exacerbating the city’s ongoing water crisis.

Excessive rainfall had doused the state capital and central Mississippi throughout August, and flooding of the Pearl River has created issues treating water at a Jackson plant, causing its pumps to fail, officials said.

Gov. Tate Reeves announced a state of emergency and warned residents to not drink the water Monday night as he said Jackson, where he also lives, did not have reliable running water.

“It means the city cannot produce enough water to fight fires, to reliably flush toilets and to meet other critical needs,” the governor said.