Detroit's Water and Sewerage Department has been cutting off water to customers behind on their payments, starting with 3,000 customers in April and 4,500 in May. Depriving Detroit residents of water is a human rights violation and compromises the health of all residents.
According to Catarina de Albuquerque, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation, “Disconnections due to non-payment are only permissible if it can be shown that the resident is able to pay but is not paying,"
Denying people access to water deprives them of basic human needs, including the ability to cleanse and hydrate themselves and cook meals for their families. Being deprived of water hurts families' abilities to become financially stable, and Detroit's decision to cut off water was short-sighted and cruel. Please sign the petition to urge Detroit to stop cutting off poor families' water!
We, the undersigned, are concerned that Detroit's Water and Sewerage Department has been cutting off water to customers behind on their payments, starting with 3,000 customers in April and 4,500 in May. We believe that depriving Detroit residents of water is a human rights violation and compromises the health of all residents.
According to Catarina de Albuquerque, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation, “Disconnections due to non-payment are only permissible if it can be shown that the resident is able to pay but is not paying,"
Denying people access to water deprives them of basic human needs, including the ability to cleanse and hydrate themselves and cook meals for their families. Being deprived of water hurts families' abilities to become financially stable, and Detroit's decision to cut off water was short-sighted and cruel. We respectfully urge you to stop cutting off poor families' water! Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
