Water is essential for life, yet millions of people around the world still lack access to safe, clean drinking water. The water crisis is a global issue that affects everyone, but it disproportionately impacts people living in poverty and marginalized communities.
There are a variety of factors contributing to the growing crisis from pollution and climate change to poor mining and oil drilling. If left unaddressed, polluted water can lead to scarcity and a host of other problems for residents living in affected areas.
On March 26, Philadelphia become the latest state to face issues with water safety. Following a chemical spill at a Bucks County processing plant, residents in Philadelphia were issued an advisory by the state to switch to bottled water “out of an abundance of caution.”
Philly Residents scrambled to buy water on Sunday
Philadelphia received a notification urging them to switch to bottled water after 2 p.m. The scary alert sent people into a chaotic buying spree, emptying out stores across the city.
“Everybody’s scared,” a resident named Bernard told CBS. “Everybody’s scared. They had the thing come on your phone, so everybody’s scared. It was a mad rush on here for the last couple of hours.”
Annelise Foglio, another Philly native, said she went to three different locations to buy water, but to no avail. She received an e-mail from her school that all water fountains and systems would be closed throughout campus Monday morning.
“So students are required to bring their own water to school,” Foglio added.
Where did the chemical spill occur?
The spill occurred at the Trinseo Altuglas facility in Bristol, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. On Sunday evening, Frank Bozich, the CEO of the company, released a statement noting that the incident “appeared to be a result of an equipment failure.” Around 8,100 gallons of a latex emulsion solution was spilled as a result.
According to Bozich, the product…
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