Elon Musk has lived up to his previous promise that he would help to support the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
The Tesla founder is the latest celebrity to support the cause, with others such as Bruno Mars and Pearl Jam having previously donated large amounts.
Over 4,500 students in the district will benefit from the initiative.
His proposed total donation is almost half a million dollars.
The Flint Community Schools district tweeted their thanks to Musk on Thursday, and the philanthropist replied; “You’re most welcome.
Hope to do more in the future.” “We are deeply grateful for the generosity and the budding partnership between Flint Community Schools, the Musk Foundation and Elon Musk,” said Derrick Lopez, the Superintendent of Flint Community Schools, in an interview with MLive, “The new water filtration systems will be instrumental in helping our students return to the normalcy of what should be a fundamental right: having access to safe, clean water from water fountains in their school.” In a report from TeslaRati, the severity of the ongoing situation in Flint is outlined in detail: “Flint’s water crisis began in April 2014, when the city’s drinking water source was shifted from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the much cheaper Flint River.
Due to insufficient water treatment, lead from the lead pipes used in the new system leached into the residents’ drinking water.
The lead-contaminated water resulted in several grave problems for Flint.
An estimated 6,000-12,000 children from the city have been exposed to drinking water with high levels of lead, and the percentage of children with elevated blood-lead levels is estimated to have risen from about 2.5% in 2013 to as much as 5% in 2015.
Ten fatalities were also caused by an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease, which is believed to be linked to the city’s contaminated water supply.”