The theme today is water. (My project has a direct connection to water. I worry the dye effluents from the existing loomweaving projects in Inabanga are contaminating the water supply.)
I drink copious amounts of purified water. (Some people here worry I drink too much. In all seriousness, they ask me if I always have to pee. Oh yes, I do, but I hear it’s good for doing away with toxins…and where I come from, they worry if you drink too much booze.) The mayor’s son owns a purification station called Vigtoh. When I see the mayor she tells me not to drink the tap water. With a grin, I point to my ever-present orange nalgene bottle and tell her there’s Vigtoh Inside. But at 35 pesos per 6 gallons, most people can’t afford the purified stuff.
Safe drinking water is a luxury here. (Of course most people probably have no idea that there’s a good chance their “drinking water” isn’t safe, and the news isn’t gonna tell them about it. After all, the main instrument of TV Patrol’s theme song is the police siren. Obviously they have a different agenda.) The following story came out last month:
MANILA, Philippines, June 19 (UPI) -- Environmental researchers have found 58 percent of groundwater in the Philippines intended for drinking contaminated with the coliform bacteria.
Jitendra Sha, a senior environmental specialist for East Asia and the Pacific region at the World Bank, cited the Philippines Environment Monitor 2003, saying the lack of proper sewerage systems has led to the contamination of ground water, the Manila Times reported Saturday.
"More money must also be invested in a sewerage system because untreated wastewater is costing everybody's health and even the tourism industry," Sha told participants in the World Bank-funded International Workshop on Beach Ecowatch Program, held on Boracay Island.
The Philippines Environment Monitor 2003 reported that water samples from 129 wells nationwide show that 75, or 58 percent, had a high level of positive coliform bacteria.
Domestic wastewater is considered the main contributor to bacterial contamination and the presence of coliform bacteria in drinking water supplies can cause water-borne diseases like diarrhea, cholera and hepatitis A.
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In other related news, there’s a documentary called Thirst premiering tonight, July 13, on PBS. (And I love saying this: Check your local listings.) Of course I won’t be able to tune in, so whoever wants to tape it for me is more than welcome. Here’s a synopsis:
The rush to privatize water is underway across the world. In the new documentary 'Thirst,' filmmakers Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow set out to explore the consequences.
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And if you want to know more about why buying bottled water isn’t such a great idea, visit www.sierraclub.org/cac/water/bottled_water/.
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I will be heading to Tagbilaran tomorrow for the Bohol Beauty Pageant among other things. After the queen has been crowned, I’ll head up to Luzon to a conference on how to evoke excitement and involve the community in Peace Corps projects (for one thing, always bring Coca-Cola to the meetings.) Then to my favorite place in the world, Manila, to go ice skating and pick up donated textbooks from Books Across the Seas. So please check back here at the end of the month for another update. Stay hydrated!