Water in Madurai

Across the world, water poses big health risks. Not only is clean drinking water critical, we use water for cooking, bathing , washing. When water is dirty, with sewage or other kinds of refuse, it makes people sick. It rarely rains in Madurai and standing water gets contaminated by the animal and human excrement (I saw two toddlers pooping on the side of the road today). and attracts mosquitos which can spread malaria, chickengunya or other epidemics.

So, I'm hanging out with a German waste water and sanitation expert while I'm down here and he's telling me that even the most basic tests on the water in Madurai shows it to be completely toxic.

"Don't drink it," he said.

I have been buying my own water, or, more accurately, drinking the water provided me by my predecessor. But as of today, I'm very low on clean water. Tomorrow morning, I'll call the drinking water service and ask them to deliver another jug tomorrow evening. The perks of relative wealth. I may not have enough to bring to the office.

The Dhan Foundation, an NGO in Madurai where I'm working, has developed their own water filtration system. This means that they take water from the river and use sand filtration and microbiotics to clean it.

There's a bottle of this water on my desk every morning.

"I drink three bottles a day," my colleague Ananda told me, "and I'm fine."

"You'll know if it's bad," said Amy, his wife, laughing. "Don't drink it if it smells like sulpher. Other than that it should be all right."

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On Another Note:

I took a motorcycle ride today with the water sanitation expert and his wife (the three of us on one motorcycle).

We went through one village on the outskirts of Madurai. Women were washing clothes and bathing in a pool by the side of the road.

"That water has been standing for three weeks," the sanitation expert said. That's how long it's been since it rained.