New at Reason

Julian Sanchez | August 17, 2005

Ronald Bailey looks to the developing world and sees government-provided water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.

Comments

|8.17.05 @ 11:47AM|#

Gizmag has a very interesting story on a new $2 straw that, if it really works, could go a huge way toward providing more safe drinking water:

>LifeStraw is a personal, low-cost water purification tool with a life time of 700 litres � approximately one year of water consumption for one person. Positive test results have been achieved on tap, turbid and saline water against common waterborne bacteria such as Salmonella, Shigella, Enterococcus and Staphylococcu.

|8.17.05 @ 11:50AM|#

Curses! I'll try that again.

Gizmag has a very interesting story on a new $2 straw that, if it really works, could go a huge way toward providing more safe drinking water:

>LifeStraw is a personal, low-cost water purification tool with a life time of 700 litres-- approximately one year of water consumption for one person. Positive test results have been achieved on tap, turbid and saline water against common waterborne bacteria such as Salmonella, Shigella, Enterococcus and Staphylococcu.

|8.17.05 @ 11:55AM|#

To purify a gallon of water requires between one to three drops of chlorine bleach, I forget the exact amount.

|8.17.05 @ 12:05PM|#

It's eight to sixteen, depending on the quality of the water. Then you need to let it sit a half hour.

|8.17.05 @ 12:11PM|#

Oh. Well, even so, it would only take about ten buck's worth of bleach to keep a whole village hydrated for a year.

|8.17.05 @ 12:19PM|#

Any negative long-term effects from drinking chlorinated water?

|8.17.05 @ 12:38PM|#

"Any negative long-term effects from drinking chlorinated water?"

Yeah, the grass turns white where you pee.

drf|8.17.05 @ 12:41PM|#

ah, yes, Solitudinarian, the worry about our precious bodily fluids :)

grin.

That's why drinking pure grain alcohol... etc. etc. etc.

|8.17.05 @ 1:00PM|#

I'm skeptical when Bailey relies on claims made by a guy who works for a corporate think tank in assessing the current state of Cochabamba's water supply. Maybe it's accurate, but why not find a real news source to back up the claims if so?

|8.17.05 @ 1:01PM|#

Don't forget the Wastewater Treatment Plant side of the equation. And of course that's money ill spent if cows are allowed to water in the outfall. And how you gonna keep the cows away when they are so valuable to the peasants. That's right, drive the peasants away. And why are there so many poor peasants anyway? Well between the backward belief systems, kleptocratic tyrants, clan warfare...

Aw hell, let Haliburton invest in water quality infrastructure and see if they can collect on their invoices. I am told that the British and French Imperialists invested heavily in the developing world and the infrastructure is still in place. Well sort of. Well actually it typically fell apart as soon as the kleptocrats took over or the country reverted to the 13th century.

Just a little bit of optimism and warmth from your local civil/environmental engineer.

|8.17.05 @ 1:05PM|#

Long-term effects of drinking chlorinated water may include a buildup of dioxin in your blood, which may or may not lead to cancer.

Long-term effects of drinking untreated water---well, with malaria, cholera, dysentery, and teh like, you frequently don't even get to the long term, so never mind.

|8.17.05 @ 1:53PM|#

Chlorine is not natural and therefore bad. Malaria, cholera, dysentery are all natural and therefore good.

Do not make poor third worlders suffer the effects of chlorination. They need to hold fast to their authentic indigenous lifestyles.

|8.17.05 @ 2:27PM|#

The chlorination process only kills the microorganisms. It will not filter out suspended solids. It will not remove dissolved solids or any type of chemical contamination such as pesticides, phenols, heavy metals, and solvents. The chlorine will react with naturally occuring organics to form carcinogenic halocarbons. I have seen rivers and lakes in Asia that I would not drink from regardless of the amount of chlorine added. There is no cheap, simple solution to furnishing potable water in third world countries.

Less than 0.07% of the world's fresh water supply is even available for human consumption. Much of the available supply is severely contaminated. Privatization will speed up the development of infrastructure because it acclerates the funding process. However, governments will always interfere with private efforts due to the scarcity of the resource. Aside from the enormous sums of money that will flow along with the water, control of the supplies will become increasingly important as a source of political power. The current wars over oil will be followed by wars over water.

I am waiting to receive President Bush's orders on this subject. Whatever he says must be correct and we are obligated to obey.

|8.17.05 @ 4:19PM|#

All hail our endlessly repeated sarcastic taglines.

|8.17.05 @ 4:20PM|#

Sounds like governments are hazardous to people's health. Who knew.