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HealthProblemsAlongtheLaredoBorderAfewshortyearsago,aboomingMexicaneconomyandtheworkofaveryactivebinationalenvironmentalhealthprojecthadNuevoLaredoinpeak

environmentalcondition. Thedemiseoftheprojectin1974,thepesodevaluationof1982,andagreatincreaseinpopulationultimatelyledtothedeterioration

oftheenvironmentonbothsidesoftheriver.

NuevoLaredostillmaintainsoneofthehigheststandardsoflivinginMexico,servingasamagnettoattractpeoplenorthward. Theconstantinfluxofnew

residentsintoNuevoLaredohasplacedasubstantialburdenontheirutilitiesandmunicipalservices. AgoodmanyofthesenewNuevoLaredoresidents

concentrateintheoutlyingareasoftownwheresubstandardcolonias(suchasthisonecalledCardboardTown)arecreated.

NuevoLaredocoloniaschildren,publicwaterfaucet,buckets,cardboardhouses.

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Thesesquatters,orparacaidistas,buildhomesfromwhatevermaterialstheycanfind. Oftentimes,thisamountstonomorethanwallsofdiscardedwoodor

corrugatedcardboard.

Cardboardhouserefrigeratoronitsside

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Itisestimatedthatapproximately40,000peopleliveinCardboardTownalone. Theirwatersupplyisverylimited. Infacttheymaybeluckyifthereisasingle

faucetinthemiddleofeachblock.

ColoniaVolutadyTrabajopublicwaterfaucet

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Mostoftheirhomesarenothookeduptosewerlinesandsewagefromtheseareasflowsfreelyinthestreetstowardstheriver.

RioBravo,TexasSewageonstreettruckinbackground

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Otherpopulationcentershavealsobeencreatedbysquatterssomeontheverybanksoftheriver. Again,lackingbasicfacilitiesandgenerallyinthesame

conditionsascardboardtown.

NuevoLaredohousebyriversouthofLaredoCommunityCollege

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Someofthesepopulationcentersaswellastheproblemstheycreateareeasilyseenfromthissideoftheborder.

NuevoLaredoviewfrommouthofZocateCreek

Sewageflowsfreelydownthebanksandsolidwasteisdisposedofdirectlyintotheriver,contributingtoanalreadyseriousproblemofwatercontaminationin

theRioGrande.

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NuevoLaredo

Close

up

of

river

bend

with

garbage

floating

south

of

Laredo

Community

College

SomeoftheseslidesweretakenfromaboatontheriverandIassureyouthateventhoughtheymaylookpretty,inmanyinstancesresemblingwaterfalls,they

arenot. Althoughyoucancapturethesights,youcannotcapturethesmellemanatingfromthem.

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NuevoLaredoSmallsewageoutfallspillingintoriver

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Accordingtotheirownstatistics,85%ofNuevoLaredohaspotablewaterpipedintotheirhomes,butsomegettheirwaterdirectlyfromtheriver.

RioGrandeMangettingwaterfromrivertotaketohomesituatedafewfeetfromriver. Whenasked,hesaidheusedthatwaterforcooking,drinking,etc.

Only65%areservedbysewerlines. Thisisaproblemthattheirauthoritiesaretryingtocorrectbyinstallingmoresewerlines. This,ofcourse,willeliminatea

goodnumberofpitprivies,whichweknowarethesourceofmanydiseases. But,ineliminatingthisproblem,theywillactuallycompoundanother,becausethe

volumeofsewagedumpeddirectlyintotheriverwillincrease.

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Presently,withonlytwothirdsofits350,000inhabitantsbeingservedbysewerlines,NuevoLaredodischarges24,000,000gallonsofrawsewageintotheriver

daily. Ifthenumberofinhabitantsservedbysewer linesisincreased,therawsewagedischargewillincrease. Today,thereare16outletsthatNuevoLaredo

usestodischargerawsewageintotheRioGrande.

NuevoLaredo

Colector

las

Americas

draining

into

the

river

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NuevoLaredofecalmatterfloatingontheriverbyColectorlasAmericas

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Fortunatelyforus,allofthemarebelowourwatertreatmentplantintake,butalreadytwoofthesedischargesarelocatedabovetheNuevoLaredowater

treatmentplantintake. Inessence,theyarealreadycontaminatingtheirownwatersupply.

NuevoLaredowaterplantintakesouthofLaredocommunitycollegeanddowntownLaredo

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Atleastoneofthese(about6acresinsize)islocatedimmediatelyadjacenttooneofthemostpopuloussubdivisionsofNuevoLaredo.

NuevoLaredosewagepondeastofColoniaInfonaviteastofNuevoLaredobytheriver.

AnevenlargerpondislocatedinthesouthernpartofNuevoLaredonearoneoftheirmostrapidlygrowingcommercialandresidentialareas.

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Pepenadores(Scavengers)havesetuptheirhomeondumpsitessuchasthisoneinthenorthwestpartofNuevoLaredoandmaketheirlivingsortingthrough

salvageablegarbageandbreedingcattle,goats,sheep,pigs,andchickensthere.

NuevoLaredodumpsitenexttoClubCompestre(CountryClub)pigraising. Caretakerinpicturewaskilledoneweeklaterreasonwastostealawristwatch

fromhim.

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Ourborderposesnobarriertodiseaseordiseasecarryingvectors..animals,insectsandhumansmovewitheasebetweenMexicoandtheU.S.

Laredowastetiresaccumulationoftrashpotentialdengueproblembecauseofmosquitobreeding.

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Laredo,ColoniaMexicanstyleconstruction,doglooseduringrabiesoutbreak.

The2Laredosformacommunityofnearlyhalfamillionpeople. Thisistherealdilemmaofbordersistercities. Wearedividedyetweexistasone

community,estrangedyetdependentuponeachother.

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InternationalbridgelookingtowardsNuevoLaredo

Timeisrunningoutandwemustdosomethingaboutourfuture. Ourverylivesdependonit. Itisimperativethatweformulateastrategywiththepurposeof

improvingthehealthandwellbeingoftheborderregion.

Itisnotonlysewagebeingdumpedintheriver,butawholepanaceaofenvironmentalproblems,suchaslackofsolidwastecontrol,mosquitoandrabies

controlwhichequallyaffectpeopleonbothsidesoftheborder.

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MoniescanbeobtainedtomakenecessarycorrectionsandconstructionoffacilitiesfromtheInterAmericanbankortheWorldBank. Butitisaninternational

problemthatcanonlybesolvedbyaninternationalorganization.

WestronglyfeelthattheonlyansweristorevivetheU.S.Mexicoenvironmentalhealthprojectevenifitiswithadifferentname,having2projectdirectors,

engineersinchargeof2homeoffices,staffedwithengineersandsanitariansineachcountry.

LaredoHealthDepartment