Thursday, February 15, 2007

Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico: Do not drink the water II; Because it's ours


Remember "Do not drink the water!, where I wrote about the water company's monopoly? Where the water company drills water wells right next to contaminated rivers and streams and then supplies water to the cities and towns which is contaminated with fecal coliform and heavy metals? And about how the water company won't allow cities, towns and villages which are sitting on or near clean water supplies to tap into those supplies?

Wait, IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN THAT!

How about a newly drilled government water well that has supplied nothing but mud since it began operation?

Wait, IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN THAT!

How about a newly built water treatment plant put in operation to treat the water (mud) from the new government-operated well which only lasted for 25 days before the equipment all went kaput because of the mud?

Wait, IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN THAT!

How about the state's governor and other members of the hoi polloi dedicating the aforementioned mud-producing water well and soon-to-be-kaput water treatment plant in a big public "Look-what-we-did-for-you-today?-vote-PRI-early-vote-PRI-often ceremony, 25 days after which the water treatment plant went, "Phhhhtttt"?

Wait, IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN THAT!

How about the local people, using donated brick, tools and labor, digging, entirely by hand, their own water well because their neighborhoods had not a drop to drink? Then when the city discovered that nice, clear, somewhat clean and somewhat drinkable water was being produced by a well dug, entirely by hand, by simple folk who just needed water in their homes, sending in work crews to begin laying pipe to divert the water from the neighborhood well away to other neighborhoods?

Wait, IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN THAT!

How about Huatulco's mayor, José Humberto Cruz Ramos, fresh from appearing alongside the governor at the dedication of the mud-producing government water well and soon-to-be-in-25-days-kaput water treatment plant, decreeing that the water producing water well, dug entirely by hand with donated labor, tools and bricks, should be named in hizzoner's honor?

Wait, because it may get worse even yet.

The citizens who live in the colonia El Crucero 20 de Noviembre weren't taking this lying down. They attacked the work crews laying the water pipe and chased them away. They now stand guard over their precious water-producing water well 24/7 to protect it from . . . their own city government.

And why can't we reach some accord here? A little cooperation? A little go along to get along? It's the politics of revenge. The inhabitants of El Crucero 20 de Noviembre vote predominantly PRD. The mayor is PRI. The governor is PRI. Now, to be honest, a lot of money was thrown away by the incompetent PRI government on a mud-producing well for the PRD neighborhood as well as the 25 day water treatment plant wonder, and the governor did arrive to dedicate the mud . . er . . . water well. But as soon as he left and the government's failures became obvious, the local political hacks stepped in and the fun began.

As I write this, the citizens of colonia Crucero 20 de Noviembre, joined now by neighboring colonia Fraccionamiento el Zapote, face off 24/7 against city police with violence to soon ensue.

Does one wonder why it is so easy for politically corrupt "people's leaders" to get otherwise honest, hard working folk to march in the streets, burn buses, assault unarmed traffic cops and spray paint a 500 year-old city?


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Cross posted at Pale Horse Galleries

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