Adapting to Scarcity

Adapting to Scarcity Gets a Visitor

Over the last three weeks, I have been lucky enough to visit with Sarah and Arthur in Guadalajara and spend some time with some of the communities they have been getting to know. When I arrived, I met up with Sarah and Arthur and we switched back and forth between English and Spanish as they shared their experiences from the last couple of months and gave me a more detailed summation of IMDEC, the different communities they work with, and the depth of water scarcity issues the communities face.

We started off at IMDEC that Wednesday, and I got the tour as we prepared to take the photo exhibit to the third school in La Huizachera. We set it up in the central plaza of the school, and one of the teachers brought out class by class to see it. They were really proud of photos they took and excited about anyone they recognized in the photos. It was both sad and incredible to see the connections that students repeatedly made in all different grades.

“This photo is the ugliest because it shows the Canal filled with trash and contamination,” said one of the kids. “We can’t play around there because factories throw trash into the Canal and it is too contaminated,” said another. “What can we do about it? People and factories should not throw their trash on the ground and in the rivers, and they should not burn their trash. We have to walk more, reuse things, and not contaminate out rivers.” Powerful stuff coming from anyone, especially elementary school students. The Canal Ahogado carries untreated human and industrial waste to the Rio Santiago. For a visual of these water flows, check out a map Arthur created.

The next day, we drove to the towns of El Salto and Juanacátlan located on the Rio Santiago, and the smell was so overwhelming that I tried to use a t-shirt as a mask. It didn’t help much. Large amounts of toxic foam covered the river’s surface downstream from the waterfall that separates the two communities. I could see a school that was located just next to the river a ways down. It was hard to stand the smell for 15 minutes; I couldn’t imagine going to school or living next to it.

It was devastating to see the river and hear the kids in La Huizachera talk about how contaminated the environment is around their school and homes, but it was hopeful to see how they care and how passionate some of them are about trying to change it. It was also really hopeful for me to see how present IMDEC is in the communities and how they are working with people on all different levels to combat the pollution and exercise their right to clean water. IMDEC has been alive and running for almost 50 years, and in my short amount of time here I was able to witness the depth of their understanding, involvement, and devotion to human rights and justice in the communities they work with.

As an outsider, especially one who is only visiting for a couple of weeks, it is hard to come into a community, see all these problems, and then to know how to react. It is unjust, devastating, environmental classism. But there is also a beautifully strong, cohesive movement of community organizations (like IMDEC), supporting collaborators (like Adapting to Scarcity), and community members of all ages joining the struggle to fight for their rights. There is already a long history to these struggles, and it is not a problem that can be resolved immediately, but I hope in the end the people gain access to clean water and continue moving forward.

It has been an amazing process to see Adapting to Scarcity in its earliest stages and now to see its growth, continual development, and adaptation. It can be quite a challenge for all involved to have outsiders come into a community, but the collaboration between Adapting to Scarcity and IMDEC is built upon a lot of dialogue and trust that allows for a wonderful exchange of resources and knowledge. I am excited to follow this growth and to continue helping how I can from my home-base in San Francisco.

I would really like to thank the folks at IMDEC for extending their hospitality and accepting me to visit and work with them for the small amount of time I was here, and of course I want to thank Sarah and Arthur for their hospitality, honesty, and for sharing their experience with me. I am a long time friend and collaborator of Arthur and Sarah’s, and have been playing a small role in Adapting to Scarcity since its inception. I will continue to provide outreach and communication support for A2S in San Francisco, so if you would like to learn more about my background and experience check out my bio on the “About Us” page.

2 Comments

By Becca, 8 January 2010 @ 14:37

Awesome to have a perspective that isn’t quite so deeply embroiled to help understand a little better from far away – but hey, when isn’t it excellent to have a Jess?

Examining Community Water Management in the Face of Scarcity