There is a small neighborhood in colonia Ramblases that is in desperate need of clean, safe, and reliable water.
In this neighborhood there are 10 houses more or less, with more being built, that aren’t getting clean water. And this isn’t a problem about money, but this a problem with the water company, Seapal.
There is also a very large soccer field with benches and two bathrooms, but the bathrooms are and have been out of service. There’s never been water for them, so since they couldn’t be used in a normal fashion they slowly turned into disgusting little huts. There is mud and dirt and trash all over the floors, and they reek of feces and urine. Also, all the sinks are missing which is probably from being stolen.
Like I said before, there are about 10 houses that need water, and there are several people in each house, plus pets. They’ve been relying on an undeveloped surface source of mountain water, that doesn’t even have any type of filtration. When it rains the water is muddy, and it is completely vulnerable to pollutants, mosquito and other insect larvae, amphibians and their waste, and is open to wandering animals that may go there to drink, or worse yet, to wallow. And in this neighborhood there are wandering donkeys, mules, horses, pigs, goats, cows, chickens, and dogs.
Recently the water has also had a horrible smell, and upon investigation, a local found a rotting dead pig lying in the middle of the stream that people are sourcing their water from. It was completely rotten and decaying, with hardly any soft tissue left, and was full of maggots that were falling off of it and flowing into the water. So the water is absolutely disgusting, and not healthy to use. But this is the only water the people have, and they use it to bathe, wash their dishes and clothes, and even brush their teeth.
Additionally, there is little cooperation among the neighbors to improve the condition of the source or evoke any kind of an organized fair-sharing policy among them. All day long one person or another will go up to the water source and remove someone else’s waterline to replace it with their own, and thus no one gets reliable water delivery.
The worst thing though, is that there is a Seapal line right close to them, maybe only a dozen feet from the soccer field; though they are refusing to hook it up and bring water to the people. The same guy who found the dead pig in the stream has gone to Seapal and asked for a hydrant, but they still refuse. He even showed them a video of the rotting, maggot-infested pig, but no results.
Supplying clean water to inhabitants is the obligation of a municipal entity, and represents responsible action to care for its citizens.
It should be said that normally we have seen that Seapal is very good about community projects and timely repairs, but for this neighborhood, by not supplying clean water to those who need it, Seapal is being very horrible to these people, and I hope they can get clean, usable water soon.