Monday, May 14, 2007

Zapatistas: Water Fight

This article describes the unequal water rights that Mexicans are being subjected to as a result of various domestic and international issues. The North American Free Trade Agreement has allowed American comapanies such as Coca-Cola and Nestle to have free reign in Mexico water issues. They are being allowed to access the $32 billion per year water market that exists in Mexico, causing it to become the second largest bottled water consumer in the world. Recently the World Water Forum was held in Mexico City and was open to anyone who could afford the $600 entry fee (4x the monthly minumum wage in Mexico). Obviously this presents a very real problem, as the people who are being most heavily affected by these water issues are the poorest people in the country.

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