water

I think we have all known for a while that water has become a scarce resource, but now I am convinced of this more than ever.

The river that runs through this city is indescribably filthy. There is garbage and dead fish that line the banks and the center of the river is a massive blanket of greenish\brownish foam. One local told me it was algae but somehow I think it is more than that. No one dares to go in the river but people have no problem throwing their garbage and peeing in it.

The beach in Mahabalipuram (the coastal town with the orphanage) is a similar story. When we took the kids swimming, I didn't get near the water on the beach. There was even more dead sea life all over the shore. Naturally none of this bothered the children, they all went diving head first into the waves. Some even found it amusing to throw crab carcasses at each other (poor Ruchi was not amused by this...). In regards to all the seafood I are that weekend, I never did get sick so that's good.

While I am here I have to force myself to drink a lot of [bottled] water everyday day because I know I sweat so much and I don't want to get dehydrated. This is not unlike living in Arizona but we all have to be careful that any we drink comes from a purified source.

There is a small restaurant near our hostel and each day before heading off in our rickshaws we will stop in and buy several liters of water. The shop owner is staring to recognize us and I'm not sure if he is amused or annoyed because each day we don't stay, we don't eat, we just buy out his supply of bottles and leave.

General guidelines for safe eating and drinking in Chennai:

• No meat of any kind (chicken, goat, fish etc.) unless its from a reputable place. This is often determined by either a recommendations from our translators or Lonely Planet.
  
• No roadside juice drinks. (You can be certain it will give you the 'runs')
• No chutney - water based dipping sauce
• No open drinks, especially at pubs and bars.
  
• Nothing from a tap, faucet, hose, sink or hole in the ground. You get the idea....

Being so careful about our water here makes me wonder if this is what it is like for the rest of the world, and if this is what the future is like for our own country if we do not take care of the resources we already have. Perhaps the US will never be like this due to the amount of sanitation, regulation and legislation that goes into natural resources, but no amount of regulating can save us if we run out of clean water! I've read that in a few decades, Las Vegas will have to start importing their sources of fresh water. Imagine the taxes that will ensue! Forget gasoline, that price of hydration will go through the roof... and then the black market for water will develop!!
SO SCARY!!

(I've run out of time at yet another internet cafe that does not allow USB connectors. More later)

-S