But just one in five water departments have agreed to reconnect household currently without running water

This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

Almost 90 cities and states across the US have suspended water shutoffs for residents unable to afford their bills, as local leaders scramble to tackle the complex public health threats posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

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There is no vaccine or treatment for coronavirus, also known as Covid-19. According to the World Health Organization, good hygiene, specifically frequent handwashing with soap, is crucial to prevent the virus spreading.

The expanding list of public utilities ordering a moratorium on shutoffs means about 57 million Americans in cities including Cleveland, Memphis and San Diego will be protected from losing their water service during the pandemic.

Seven states – Wisconsin, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Louisiana – have mandated a halt to shutoffs, according to data provided exclusively to the Guardian by Food & Water Watch (FWW), a not-for-profit organisation tracking the situation.

A handful of private water companies, which supply about 15% of Americans, have suspended shutoffs.

But just one in five water departments have explicitly agreed to reconnect households currently without running water. The rest have only committed to halting new shutoffs.

As a result, potentially hundreds of thousands of impoverished Americans will remain without running water during one of the worst public health crises in modern history.

“Suspending water shutoffs is the right thing to do, but reconnecting every household in the country is essential during this emergency in which handwashing is a primary measure to stop the spread,” said Michigan congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, who last year co-sponsored legislation to tackle America’s water crisis.

“Clean, safe, affordable water is a basic human need … it is unacceptable and inhumane to shut off people’s water because they can’t afford the bill,” Lawrence said.

According to data collected by the New York Times, at least 2,800 people in 49 states, Puerto Rico and Washington DC had tested positive for Covid-19 by Sunday morning, with 59 confirmed deaths.

The actual number of cases is almost certainly far higher given the country’s struggle to provide proper screening – one of multiple potentially catastrophic failures being blamed on the Trump administration’s haphazard handling of the pandemic.

There is no national database tracking the number of US households without running water. But in 2016, one in every 20 households were disconnected by public water departments, leaving an estimated 15 million Americans without running water, according to research by FWW.

The highest shutoffs rates were concentrated in southern or rural states including Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida and Oklahoma. The hardest-hit cities, such as New Orleans, Detroit and Jacksonville, have high poverty and unemployment rates and more people of color.

Before the Covid-19 outbreak, only 10 US cities, among them New York, Flint and Baltimore, had banned water shutoffs.

Mary Grant from FWW said: “We need an immediate outright nationwide ban on shutoffs, and must make sure that every household has running water in order to protect human health and our communities.”

It is unclear what proportion of the country’s half a million homeless people currently have access to running water.

Last week, Detroit became the first city to announce a moratorium. It included the state covering the $25 reconnection fee for homes without water, and a reduced monthly bill for these households during the coronavirus outbreak.

According to figures from the Detroit water and sewerage department (DWSD), 3,600 occupied homes (or houses with water usage in the previous 12 months) have been disconnected since April 2019. Of these, a staggering 2,800 were still without running water when the coronavirus reconnection plan was announced.

In its first couple of days of implementation, only 73 families were reconnected – partly because DWSD crews had to spend time installing meters in some homes, according to a city spokesman. Residents are being advised to flush the water pipes before drinking in order to reduce the risk of lead poisoning.

“The issue is broad, complex and bureaucratic but these numbers are unacceptable,” said Lawrence.

Reconnections should speed up this week as three extra plumbers have been hired and the call centre, where residents must register for help, is beefing up capacity.

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At least 141,000 Detroit households have been disconnected since 2014 as part of a widely condemned debt-collection programme, according to records obtained by Bridge, a news magazine.

One study found a significant increase in skin and waterborne gastrointestinal diseases among hospital patients in Detroit who lived on a block where at least one neighbour had been disconnected. The city claims most shutoffs are done in unoccupied houses to prevent flooding and other damage.

“What’s happening now … this has been our greatest fear,” said Monica Lewis-Patrick, director of We the People of Detroit, a grassroots coalition and research collective.

“It’s undeniable that access to clean water is for the public good. This is a critical moment for the whole nation.”