H2O

June 24, 2009

I’ve thought a lot about water on this trip.

Water = Life. NO! Clean Water = Life

Unfortunately, not everyone thinks that putting safe, clean water in the desert is a compassionate deed. As I reported in a previous blog entry, on a water run with Humane Borders, we discovered holes drilled in the tank to deliberately drain the water. With No More Deaths, several of my patrols discovered gallon jugs that we had placed at particular sites a few days earlier had been slashed. Other NMD patrols found jugs they had placed only hours earlier, empty - intentionally cut open. This was hard to see – to feel – to know.

Note our message to those slashing the jugs.

Water is also an issue in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. In the last 10-12 years, Nogales has gone from a town of 30,000 to 300,000 in population. This rapid growth was the result of people moving to the border for work in the maquiladoras when they could no longer sustain themselves in their small farming economies. In Nogales, there was no infrastructure in place to absorb this increased number of residents who began to squat on un-owned land. There were no roads, no water lines, no electricity, no sewage treatment plants, etc. – and now the city is unable to keep up and provide these services. Many neighborhoods are still without basic services.

Residents who can afford to, purchase water several times a week. This non-potable water, which is stored in a large tank (see picture), often on top of the house, is used for showering, flushing toilets, washing dishes, etc. Potable water for drinking and cooking must be purchased separately. Some homes don’t have tanks, and some who do cannot afford to fill them on a regular basis. Also, someone has to be at home when the water truck passes or the tank will not get filled. This makes it particularly difficult for a single mom who works in a maquila 10+ hours a day.

In the home where I stayed, the big tank was empty. This meant we could not get water from the tap to wash our hands or dishes, nor to flush the toilet, nor to take a shower. (Although, we would not have showered anyway as that would have been an extravagant activity.) Our “mom” had been able to save a large bucket of water for our use. To “flush” we had to pour a pitcher of water into the toilet to wash down anything we had deposited there. :o)

The very basics that I take for granted – that when I turn a faucet, water will come out; that when I press a handle, the toilet will flush; that when I want a shower, I can have one; and that when I want a drink of water or need to rinse when brushing my teeth that the water will be safe to do so. These basic functions, easily accessed in my world are a challenge for the poor people of Nogales.

There’s another water issue in Nogales caused by the wall the US has (is) constructing along the border. The impermeable material of which the wall is made has functioned as a dam, blocking the natural water run-off and causing significant flooding. Yet, our country does not take responsibility for the environmental damage, physical destruction and loss of life this flooding has caused.

Finally, is the issue of polluted and poisoned water, not only on the Mexico side of the border, but in Nogales, AZ. The lack of environmental regulations has allowed maquiladoras to improperly dispose of harmful waste – pouring toxins into the soil and dumping poisons into the streams, rivers and watersheds – causing sickness, disease and death. Just one example is the disproportionate number of people diagnosed with lupus in Nogales, AZ.

Clean water is a basic human need. Clean water is a basic human right.