All that cooking made us hungry. We went into San Blas to a beachside open air restaurant. Imagine our surprise when another part of our group, one who had gone to see a developing native plant nursery project, showed up to join us.
After that late lunch we headed for another potential project. This one requires work on a larger scale. A small town of about 400 people is set on a small stream in a narrow canyon. The ground is very dense and rocky. Due to the setting, septic waste disposl is not funtional. There is no way to drill the rock or change the soil. For this reason, every house in the town leaks raw sewage into the streets and eventually to the stream. This is very unhealthy for all inhabitants, and a very sad situation. The occupants can not afford to leave what little they have. The cost, to hook up appx 100 households with a mile of line and connect to an existing main line is $150,000 US dollars.
Yes that is waste water running down the street - and yes that is a family with children walking on the street.
And yes that is the sewage stream joining a fresh water stream that goes on to join a small river about a half mile away. And yes that is sewage running out of one of the houses. Sorry, this is simply how it is.
The government does not usually help in these infastructure projects, though in this case they committed one of five shares. So of the $150,000 needed, $30,000 comes from the community; a tough order in this poor town as that translates to 300 per household. Then the Tepic Club does a share, another club in Canada does one, they are asking us or anyone we know to help.
Here is the creek below the village. That is a water pipe going down into the river. Not sewage. It services a business out at the highway.
Here is the creek below the village. That is a water pipe going down into the river. Not sewage. It services a business out at the highway.
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