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Detroit, Michigan: Water Cut Offs
According to the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD), between July 1, 2001 and June 30, 2002, the utility cut off water to 40,752 residences in the Detroit area affecting 15% of DWSD customers. Senior citizens, people with disabilities, women with young children, and ex-welfare recipients are the most common victims of the cut-offs. When cut-offs are threatened, the state emergency relief program can offer help up to a $175 limit. As water rates continue to rise, the cut-offs have continued.
Such water cut-offs violate the basic right of residents and demean the human right to water.
Michigan Legal Services, Legal Aid and Defenders, and the Michigan Poverty Law Center have continuously called for a moratorium on the water cut-offs in the city and are working to ensure an affordable plan that enables low-income residents to access water.
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