To put that in perspective, the average person in the US takes an 8-minute shower each day, which consumes about 65 L of water! You can imagine the strain that it puts on individuals to divide their 20 L ration for drinking, doing laundry, washing hands, dishwashing, and sanitation purposes. For this reason, many families in these regions are living off of 20 L of water per day per person. These trucks, however, are very unreliable, not coming for weeks at a time without notice. Those that live in these regions rely on government supplied water trucks, known as las pipas, to bring them water. In these areas, people are living off-grid and do not have access to water because there are no pipes from the city delivering water to people’s taps. However, it is in the mountainous outskirts, that people are most vulnerable. Within the center of the Mexico City, the water scarcity issue has led to frequent water shut-offs. Due to the quickly depleting aquifer, Mexico City is sinking downwards an estimated 1 meter every year. This collects pesticides and pollutants, which contaminate other water sources like rivers and lakes. The ground is covered with concrete, which means that when it rains, rather than seep through the soil and return to the aquifer, the rainwater runs off. A large majority of the city’s water supply comes from an underground aquifer that is being drained at a rate faster than it can refill. Unsustainable water management practices have put Mexico City at risk of running out of water. Isla Urbana at Penn students assess Rosa’s roof and strategize on how to best adapt the system to fit the conditions of Rosa’s house.
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