Last Thursday, a water main broke in Athens. Residents and Ohio University students had to deal with a boil alert from Thursday through early Saturday morning. While the tap water was not drinkable and bathrooms out of order, many students rejoiced in a day of class cancellation known as #NoWaterFest2017. Some people enjoyed this, others found it inconvenient. For good reason, some complained about having to use porta-johns.
Sure, consuming alcohol on a Thursday morning when you should be in class is fun. A boil order, while inconvenient, isn't the end of the world and we are lucky it was as short as it was. However, across the world, people are struggling to drink clean water. Our near-36 hours of "beer is safer than water" was a bit of a joke when you consider the fact that Flint, Michigan, was without it for around three years. In 2014, Flint switched its water source from Lake Huron to a nearby river. Poor construction and a lack of safety inspections allowed for contaminated water to flow into the homes and drinking water sources of many Flint residents.
High levels of lead and other dangerous bacteria contaminated Flint’s tap water until it finally got fixed in January of 2017, thanks to bold whistleblowers. City and state officials almost weren’t held accountable for this atrocity. State agencies failed to enforce state-level drinking regulations and a major water crisis resulted.
I’m not advocating that OU students can’t enjoy a day off from classes or don’t have the right to complain about having bad water, but it’s important we use this small incident in Athens to constantly remind ourselves of the water crisis our neighbors to the north have lived with for three years. Essentially, be grateful that this was a joke compared to what the people of Flint have lived through and then some for three years.
Alex Jackson is a freshman studying strategic communications at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What did you think of the water main break? Let Alex know by tweeting him @alexjackson716.
