Water
Although there is no lack of water at my field-site, there are problems with its distribution. For many years, Pemex (the Mexican oil company) provided running water to everyone's home, but after a hurricane in 1999 destroyed many of the pipes, Pemex never bothered to restore the service. While the government provided funding to build a new water system for some of the affected communities, others to this date still lack running water in their homes. These are some of the alternative ways people get water:
Wells. Since there is abundant groundwater, many people have dug wells near their homes and get water by filling buckets and pulling them up with a rope. Some people also keep pets in their wells such as fish or crawfish.
Natural Springs. There are several of these in the area and people can fill buckets and water bottles (the water is clean to drink) or hire a truck to carry a large container/barrel to their home. These large containers of water can last a family for several days.
Rain Water. Many homes have installed a system of pipes that catch rain water from the roof and deposit it in giant tanks. This water is then pumped out of the tank through a connected faucet. Of course, this only works during the rainy season-- which runs roughly from July through September. One interesting fact about rain water is that it is kind of gooey. When you wash your hands with it, there is a film that sticks to them and they don't feel quite clean. To get rid of this, you must mix rain water with lemon and a little bit of spring water.
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Wells. Since there is abundant groundwater, many people have dug wells near their homes and get water by filling buckets and pulling them up with a rope. Some people also keep pets in their wells such as fish or crawfish.
Natural Springs. There are several of these in the area and people can fill buckets and water bottles (the water is clean to drink) or hire a truck to carry a large container/barrel to their home. These large containers of water can last a family for several days.
Rain Water. Many homes have installed a system of pipes that catch rain water from the roof and deposit it in giant tanks. This water is then pumped out of the tank through a connected faucet. Of course, this only works during the rainy season-- which runs roughly from July through September. One interesting fact about rain water is that it is kind of gooey. When you wash your hands with it, there is a film that sticks to them and they don't feel quite clean. To get rid of this, you must mix rain water with lemon and a little bit of spring water.
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