The devastation of hurricane Maria has left many Puerto Ricans without a safe source of drinking water. This desperation has led to people turning to less sanitary sources for water. The Puerto Rican water utility, AAA, has been distributing water from a well located at the Dorado Groundwater Contamination Site. Unsurprisingly, the site is a part of the Superfund program for hazardous waste clean up. The area has been polluted with industrial chemicals that can lead to liver damage and an increased risk of cancer. The EPA is gathering information as to whether that specific well is a risk for public health. The AAA was unaware of the well's status until CNN showed them the evidence. Researchers mostly agree that the water is safe for consumption but express concern over unknown chemicals in the water and the fact that a Superfund site is being used to access water.
The thing that really annoys me is the sheer difference between the recovery efforts of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma versus Hurricane Maria. It is an injustice that Puerto Rico has less resources and media attention due to Puerto Rico not being a state. Now I'll admit that the combination of all the damage from previous hurricanes can factor into less resources, but the prejudice can be clearly heard in the way Trump tweeted about the disasters.
Upon reading the article, it seems impossible to not draw the connection to Flint, Michigan. My concern is that Puerto Rico's water crisis will have brief media coverage before being swept under the rug like Flint.
The treatment for Puerto Rico is so unfair. Tainted water? How could the AAA not know that their water was from a HAZARDOUS WASTE site????? And even if the EPA comes to the conclusion that the water isn't a risk for safety, it would still sound risky to drink water from a hazardous waste clean up. I really hope that Puerto Rico gets the attention they need and their condition isn't swept under the rug like Flint.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amy. The treatment is terrible. We should be providing them with cleaner water sources for the time being and help them because we aren’t really doing so right now.
ReplyDeleteIt's a really terrible situation that Puerto Rico is going through, and there needs to be more awareness around it. We should be helping them right now, not just brushing them off.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the federal government has a high enough ceiling to cover this much damage. We had to raise it once this year and raising it again could cause huge trouble for us in the near future
ReplyDeleteI just hope Puerto Rico can become more independent and cut its ties with the united states because the country will not be able to recover well and in time with the treatment they are getting.
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