"Even when water flows from his faucet, Sandana says it's brown and "terrible" quality, despite pipes being replaced several months ago."
"Three times this spring, water has been cut off for hundreds of thousands of people due to dangerously low reservoir levels."
Centuries of irresponsible water (that let's face, it plagues any country trying to develop) use and extraction from wells has depleted the lake sized aquifer under Mexico City. Anyone who has taken basic geology knows that as you deplete and aquifer, the ground above moves in to fill the empty space essentially causing a "sinking" effect. Apparently Mexico City sinks about 10cm a year, bending existing infrastructure pipes and gradually placing it below sea level (though the city is about 22km above sea level).
Water conservation has for a while been a way of life for Mexicans, particularly those in lower socio-economic classes due to the price of water, but estimates show that on average daily water usage is twice that of Europeans. This is attributed to the heat in the country and the ever growing population. However, as reserves continuet to run dry Mexico is now fighting the domestic price war for water that most other countries are fighting for oil.
I don't see how anyone, except maybe the Canada and United States, cannot take this as an immediate wake-up sign to initiate water conservation policy, preferably through education and admittedly, endoctrination. Higher prices in response to scarcity, without proper tax breaks or subsidies wreck havoc on lower income marginalized populations and the distribution of water becomes essentially classist in nature. Lack of responsbile use combined with ever depleting supply tends to cause acts of desperation such as war over control of resources. Mind you this can be international war or even civil war.
Though this picture is incredibly dreary and macabre, it's not completely unfathomable Remember the crazy scramble for canned food, water and money when the Toronto blackout hit? Or even the Black Friday scarmble for rare cheap goods at that Wal-mart? Imagine all THAT on a world scale for the one resource we actually need to survive.
AND with only Canada left with fresh water.
Yikes Canada, yikes.
Perhaps we should create a Canadian Fresh Water Defence Force? CFWDF, anyone?
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