The judge handling the city of Detroit’s bankruptcy has refused to issue a six-month moratorium on water service shutoffs to customers who are more than two months behind on their payments.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes said that he did not have the authority to issue the order under current bankruptcy laws. And, in what was viewed as further pouring salt on the wounds of the city’s needy, he said that even if he did have the authority to halt the shutoffs, he would not have done so.
“Detroit cannot afford any revenue slippages,” Rhodes said. “It cannot be doubted that water is a necessary ingredient to sustaining life, (but that doesn’t mean) there is an enforceable right to free and affordable water.”
The judge also noted a range of options for citizens having problems meeting their water bill obligations.
“Judge Rhodes is saying that the water bills come with directions to dispute bills and Detroit Water customers rarely use this system,” noted local WDIV-TV reporter Rod Melon. “He said quite clearly that not only do Detroiters not have a right to water service, they do not have the right to pay for water in a fashion based on ability to pay.”
U.N. human rights experts are due to arrive in Detroit to assess the worsening situation.
“Disconnections due to non-payment are only permissible if it can be shown that the resident is able to pay but is not paying,” said Catarina de Albuquerque, a U.N. expert on the human right to water and sanitation. “In other words, when there is genuine inability to pay, human rights simply forbids disconnections.”
Comments