#MexicoProblems

Water is such a basic service available to Americans, it seems ludicrous that you have to pay for water everywhere you go in Mexico. As in, if you want to use the bathroom or wash your hands outside of your home, it'll be about 20 cents. If you order a glass of water at a restaurant, they'll bring you a bottle and charge you. Looking for a drink of water at home? You'll find yourself buying one of these and paying for someone to lug it over: 

Our water man sells us a 20 liter jug for about 3 bucks and comes on Wednesdays 

Indeed, the water bottle industry in Mexico is booming. That is why I am convinced that even if there was a way for the Mexican government to fix the water scarcity issue, they still wouldn't. The water bottle industry would collapse. And while perhaps that isn't as important as the fall of the financial sector or the car industry, I can't help but feel that someone somewhere is lobbying hardcore against the installation of effective water systems. 

I have 11 weeks left in Mexico and I don't know much about my upcoming life in the States, but I can tell you this: I will never ever buy one of those Brita filter contraptions again. I was always a huge tap-water fan in the U.S but even more so now. It's free! It's clean! And in some places, they even add minerals for your teeth and bones! Oy Vey! You don't know how good you have it until you have to pay for water at a restaurant, or have to buy a tank of water when the city decides to shut it off for "conservation purposes", or until you can't open your mouth in the shower (see clip from Sex and the City: The Movie). 

The irony of Mexico City laying atop a lake bed only makes the weekly effort to secure hydration that much more comical. Yea, that's right. Mexico City is on a lake.  

In Mexico City, the over-exploitation of natural water sources and the small capacity of filtration systems has caused a permanent scarcity issue marred by a lack of potable water, conflicts with the neighboring communities that export water to Mexico City, and terrible flooding in the rainy season. Water supply has become a daily struggle for Mexican communities and while concerned authorities have recognized the problem, they have proven themselves incapable of proposing a viable solution.

In addition to the impact that water scarcity has on general public health, it is also a notable factor in the Mexican obsession with Coca-Cola. Mexico boasts the highest global sales of Coke alongside the highest rates of obesity in the world. In fact, as I wrote that sentence, I looked up and saw this in the ITAM study room. 

Yea, the only option is Coke...

For my Spanish speakers out there, here's a video that tells the story of how brilliant marketing strategies helped Coke take over Mexico. For the rest, an English video that gives a quick synopsis.

The water issue is just one of the things that defines the daily life in Mexico. I feel much better about this problem now that I've filled the jug in our apartment. Of course, I got in the shower this morning after a week out of town just to realize that we ran out of gas. #mexicoproblems.

Note: This piece was originally written in 2012, before we learned of equally deplorable water conditions right here in the U.S.  In 2015, I moved to New York and bought a Brita filter after turning on the sink in my new apartment, and finding a beige water supply. Guess this one turned out to be an #everywhereproblem.