my first week in india, i had dreams about being back in the states and brushing my teeth with tap water, opening my mouth in the shower, drinking from the kitchen sink. my second week in india, i had nightmares about being in my flat in india and brushing my teeth with tap water, opening my mouth in the shower, drinking from the kitchen sink.
truly, i think the water in india has been one of the hardest things for me to adjust to. growing up in the states, it's hard to realize just what a commodity clean water is. it's so strange to grow up in a place where you're taught that water is a purifying agent, it's the solution to all kinds of uncleanliness, and it is always good for you... and then to come to a place where the water is dangerous, it will make you sick, and it must be used carefully. water is supposed to be life. in india, water can be toxic -- when even the locals get sick from drinking the water, you know you have problems.
of course, people like me come to india and live off bottled water. actually, lots of people who grow up in india live off bottled water too. but i'm guessing the majority of the population drinks from the tap -- whether it's the sink in their house or the faucet on the side of the road. and i'm sure lots of them get all kinds of ailments from the water. i'm also sure that the water situation is a deterrent to lots of foreigners who would otherwise be visiting or living in india for appreciable periods of time.
people often talk about problems in india -- corruption in the government, pollution, overpopulation etc. i've decided that one of the biggest problems in india is disgusting water. if the water were made clean, safe, and drinkable, i'm convinced it would do fabulous things for india. the population would get sick less and be healthier and happier overall, there would be even more tourism, and i'm thinking foreign investment would increase on many dimensions, since ex-pats from the western world would be much more comfortable living and working here.
to me, the water situation provides a vivid example of what a post-colonial country looks like. development is so uneven. there are roads – but no driving rules. there are power lines – but the power goes out several times every single day. and, there is plumbing and running water – but the water is not safe to drink. i think that as india's manufacturing boom takes off and it's economy becomes the next big thing (after china), the water will become filtered, clean, and fabulous. for now, it's crazy to think about how something that most americans take for granted is so hard to come by in so many parts of the world. one more way in which traveling opens my eyes, i guess. my mom always says she's traveled all over the world and she hasn't yet found a country she wants to live in besides the united states. more and more, i understand why.
Posted by naseem at July 14, 2006 09:45 AMThis is really interesting, Naseem. Thanks for posting this. Something that my sister mentioned when she returned from her year in India. She, like most other travellers I've talked to or heard from, got sick from drinking tap water in India. Have you heard others vocalizing their frustration with this problem? Locals who want something done about it? I'm interested in hearing about what Indians, themselves, view as being development priorities. Could it be that the situation is so widespread and accepted that it's not even viewed as a major challenge?
Posted by: Andrew at July 14, 2006 11:46 AMhey naseem,
i know what you mean about the water. and the thing is, solutions do exist. the NGO I worked with last summer has a tank that filters out 99% of harmful bacteria, all you have to do is install it and have the water flow through it. lasts 10 years. sadly, they don't have the resources to publicize it :( i think the problem is, there's no sense of real urgency to solving the problem. it's a major development issue, and one that's going to get worse and more important if water scarcity continues to grow as a problem. but as long as there isn't enough interest in changing the problem, i don't think anything will happen :(
glad you got home ok :)
Posted by: maya at July 16, 2006 01:12 PMhey naseem,
if you have time, could you post a blog relating to censorship in india? yesterday the government of india blocked access to several blog sites (as in you cannot access any sites listed on that server) all apparently in the name of fighting terrorism. i've posted about it both on the link above and on my personal site: http://mystikplum.livejournal.com, which has links to more information. i'd really appreciate it. thanks, ~maya