Violence in MEXICO CITY: Water Riots

VIOLENCE IN MEXICO CITY: Riots surround a global summit seeking answers to a problem that's getting more acute

Violence broke out Thursday as experts and conservationists from around the world gathered to search for ways to safeguard one of the world's most precious commodities.

A gang of youths, many of them in ski masks, attacked a patrol car with sticks and rocks, and riot police fired tear gas into the crowd, local media reported. At least a dozen protesters armed with knives, pipes and Molotov cocktails were arrested in a separate incident on the first day of the fourth World Water Forum in Mexico City.

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In the Mexican capital, tomorrow's crisis is already here.

Parts of the metropolis are sinking by as much as a foot a year because of over-exploitation of aquifers. More than 1 million residents lack water in their homes. And fights about water are getting increasingly violent, with some experts warning of a future "water war."

More...

This is an article worth reading...

It further states:

One billion people lack clean drinking water and 2.6 billion are without adequate sanitation, according to the United Nations, and shortages are expected to get worse when the world's population hits 8 billion in two decades.

That is one hell of a statistic...

An interesting side note is the possible impact this growing crisis in Mexico could have on the United States.

See here.

[edit on 17-3-2006 by loam]

hahah theres violence in Mexico City everyday, there are riots everyday, normal stuff for average mexican but I guess this minor incident got noticed that much because of the water forum

Good find loam.

The "problem" was predictable - and predicted.

One of the many justifications for letting pandemics like bird flu emerge - let millions die, solve the water shortage problem.


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I read about this in my local papers over breakfast, the protestors were dressed in death masks and had those traditional mexican death puppets to try to get their point across. I certainly can't blame them for their actions, but the violence while unneccessary is and will be a factor in any large gatherings, and just like most peaceful protests, I think the violence was probably caused by anarchists or implants meant to disrupt the protest. Water is and will always be our most precious commodity, and when you have millions without adequate water supplies, there is definitely the potential for more violence, illness and deaths.