Absolutely Absurd

(image taken from the web)

I have not been keeping up with the news back home in the U.S., but I know that there has been a major scandal about lead contamination in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan.  Politicians there are scurrying to try to save their political necks.  Now imagine the outrage if a U.S. city of more than 5 million people announced that there would be absolutely no water for any of its residents for three days or more.  Heads would roll!

Well, that's what is going on right here in Mexico City.  Much of the city's water is piped in from the west, and the pipeline that carries it into the city will be shut down for maintenance work.  Beginning early Friday morning and throughout the weekend, an estimated 5.3 million people in the metropolitan Mexico City area will have no water.  Some parts of the city will not have full service restored until February 6th.

Most homes and businesses in the city have one or more "tinacos" (water tanks) on the roof and some have underground cisterns.  The doorman of the apartment where I am staying says that the "tinacos" and cistern are full, and that we should have no problem.

Alejandro's house has a cistern, so if they conserve water, they should be OK too.

But what about all the people that don't have cisterns or even "tinacos"?  The government says that water trucks will bring water free of charge to those who have none.  I wonder how many water trucks it would take to supply this huge, sprawling city.  I can imagine a chaotic situation. 

Those of you who read my blog know how much I love Mexico.  I am certainly no Mexico basher.   But sometimes I just have to shake my head over some of the things that go on here.  This situation does not help Mexico rise above the stereotype of an inept, poorly governed Third World country.