$600 million settlement in Flint water crisis: reports

WASHINGTON: The US state of Michigan has agreed to pay some $600 million to victims of the Flint water crisis, a health scandal that became a symbol of social injustice in America, reports said.

At least 12 people died after the decaying industrial city switched its drinking water source to the polluted Flint River to cut costs in 2014.

However, officials failed to add corrosion controls to the new tap water source, allowing lead and other contaminants to leach from the city's aging pipe system, the New York Times and Washington Post reported.

City and state officials have not made any public comments on the reported deal, but it could be announced later this week.

Most of the money is earmarked for children in the city of Flint, who were at greatest risk of neurological and physical harm from lead-tainted tap water.

More than 8,000 children are believed to have consumed lead-contaminated water, and a study found that the proportion of infants and children with high lead levels doubled after the water source switch.

The Post reported that 80 percent of the settlement would go to residents who were exposed when they were under 18 years old.

At least 18,000 children lived in Flint during the water crisis, according to official estimates.

Authorities initially dismissed complaints from residents in the majority black city where many lived below the poverty line.

Authorities were eventually pushed to act following national attention and Environmental Protection Agency pressure.

The city and state have since taken steps to improve water quality, including reverting to a cleaner water source and a project to replace Flint's aging pipe network.

However, criminal charges filed against eight people accused of playing a role in the health debacle, including high-ranking state officials, were dropped last year.

Prosecutors said they found weaknesses in the cases and were continuing their probe.