Winter freeze strains pipes, water infrastructure in US South

Mary Gaines, a resident of Jackson, Mississippi, is one of the estimated 150,000 residents affected by the city’s water issues over the past year [File: Steve Helber/AP Photo]

A deadly arctic blast that whipped through the United States starting last week has left the country’s Deep South region grappling with the scourge of burst pipes, threatening leaks that could spill millions of litres of water.

The situation has left residents of cities such as Jackson, Mississippi — long troubled by a water crisis — boiling water over the Christmas holiday and into Monday.