Monday, March 21, 2011

A Totally Empty Glass

[emptyglassforwater.ca]

Oh my goodness, kids. On the news this morning, they featured a First Nations reserve in northern Manitoba where the people do not have even the basic amount of water the UN says is necessary for human health. No running water, but some places have holding tanks for trucked-in water, that have tested positive for bacteria. Some people are hauling buckets of water up from the frozen lake. The end result is not enough water for drinking, personal hygiene or laundry and cleaning.

Third World conditions in northern Canada, folks, an embarrassing  fact which comes to light every now and then, when things reach the crisis point.

Apparently a kazillion dollars have been funded to "address this problem". The chiefs in these communities are wishing to know where that money has gone, since there is still nothing coming out of the tap. At least not the water taps!

Sigh.

The news clip showed an international organization going in to look at this problem on the ground. They promise to help. But I wonder: why are these Canadian citizens living in such conditions? Where is our government?

4 comments:

  1. Oh, Sherry, this is painful. You know, we have all the water and food we need in the world. The trouble is distribution. Equitable distribution. Folks should think on this before they blithely fill their swimming pools with fresh water.

    Amy

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  2. I know, Amy. It is such a huge mess.

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  3. Disheartening state of affairs. We at this end wash our babies with a mouthful of water.

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  4. Sad and inexplicable in this land of plenty, Sherry, that citizens should lack the very basics of life! And we need an international organization to come in and solve this problem? I don't understand!!

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