DETROIT, October 20 (RIA Novosti) - The measures of Detroit city officials are insufficient to ensure the affordability of water, sanitation, and adequate housing, UN special rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation Catarina de Albuquerque told reporters at a press-conference in Detroit on Monday.
“The mayor [of Detroit], for example, does not seem to take into consideration the ability to pay off chronically low income persons,” Albuquerque added, stressing that people are willing to pay their bills but within their incomes.
Albuquerque emphasized that the access to water cannot be discriminatory, but currently there is a heavier impact on poor people, especially African American citizens.
“The human right to water and sanitation means that these services should be affordable, and they should not lead people to make impossible choices, or to force people lower their consumption levels to the level that is below human necessities,” UN rapporteur stated .
Special rapporteur on the human right to water and sanitation Catarina de Albuquerque and Special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing Leilani Farha visited Detroit to observe the impact of water shutoffs on residents and their human rights, as well as the need for adequate housing.
During their visit the UN rapporteurs met lawyers, laborers, residents, and city officials, including Detroit’s mayor Mike Duggan and members of the Detroit City Council. Reportedly, the water shutoffs concern thousands of homes in Detroit where residents had not paid the bills.
