The news article, “Access to Water Is a Daily Battle in Poor Neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires,” (2019) by Inter Press Service News Agency (IPS) depicts the water crisis that countless poor families face in Buenos Aires. This article shows readers photographs of the conditions in such neighbourhoods where water is not only scarce, but when available, it comes in the colours yellow and brown. In these neighbourhoods, “connections to the water grid are illegal or informal, and it is very common for homes to be left without service.” A man featured in this article speaks of the conditions that families and children are currently facing, which truly depicts the degree to which the inaccessibility of water in these areas is critical:
"The water here comes out with sand and dirt, and it stinks. It's been like this for years and that's why it's common to see kids with pimples, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea or worse. In recent years we have had more than 10 cases of tuberculosis and outbreaks of hepatitis."
While this article is different than the typical topics that we discuss in class, I still chose to publicise this article on our website because I want to highlight the applicability that our course topics can have on other world issues. People from non-Western countries are facing serious accessibility problems. To me, inaccessibility to clean, uncontaminated water is simultaneous to the struggles that migrants face toward inaccessible entry into countries and the lengths it takes to get there. When I think about the article I’ve summarized above and relate it to our class, I think about the initial micro events that impact migrants to even begin their difficult journey (stages that I never thought about prior to these past few months). Something like unclean drinking water that is severely affecting one’s children for years might just be an initial defining factor that justifies making that step to migrate your family across waters. Inaccessibility in our world unfortunately comes in abundance often to those who occupy marginalized social positions in society, whether it is inaccessible water or inaccessible immigration.
Keywords: access, inaccessibility, water, borders, migration
Author: Kim Kardashian
Thank you for sharing this particular issue regarding water supply. The scarcity of clean water is definitely affecting myriads of people across many borders. As a Filipino Canadian myself, I can definitely relate to this because I’m aware that there is a water crisis happening in my hometown in the Philippines. The cyclical world weather pattern El Nino, which raises ocean temperatures, has brought lower than average rainfall to the Philippines since February this year. El Nino has caused parts of nearby Indonesia to run drier this year to date, as well. Today people around Metro Manila, Philippines were told that there would not be any water supply for several hours at scheduled intervals, prompting families to stock up i…