But I would still call this a 3rd World Country. Why??
For one.... the most basic human requirement, i.e. Clean Water is not available to it's citizens. Can you imagine my shock when I discovered there is no piped water into my house? I do know that my house is equipped with a groundwater pump, but I thought this was to supplement the water supplied from the mains. It was only when my groundwater pump conked out, and the service people came that I discovered that was it. My water was all from the ground. Water from the mains? Nadda! Zilch!
I kepoh-ed when I visited other people's homes....and found that this is the norm. No wonder the whole city is sinking....subsidence due to the excessive withdrawal of groundwater.
And what about garbage collection?? My garbage is collected once a week by these little carts that you see below. The garbage collector comes and actually digs out the yucky refuse from the garbage compartment. No such thing as using a garbage can or bin. Many a times, the garbage bags are of no use...as when the garbage is dugged out, the plastic would have torn strewing all the yucky contents onto the ground. OR...the garbage collector would tear out the plastic to seek for recyclables that he could sell. Yes...people are so very poor.
Typical Garbage Carts
Apparently, 49% of the population live below USD 2 per day. Compare this with my kids' lunch at their school which would cost about USD 2/- for a main course. No drinks or fruit included. Begging Boy No.1 with his Performing Monkey....can you see the clothes being dried by the side of the longkang?
Begging Boy No. 2 with his Performing Monkey... he's about 50 meters away from the 1st Boy
Begging Boy No. 2's Monkey...all dressed up and on a bike!
Hawker Stall by the Road...err... I don't dare to eat by the roadside here lor..
6 comments:
Wah, I didn't know that there wasn't piped water where you live. No wonder their ppl have to look for work elsewhere...
*Digging through geography files in brain* Urr... where is this? *blush*
definitely a 3rd world country to me!
no piped water? oh dear... did anyone do a research on how much water is left underground?
And the longkang is dark,thick with little bubbles right-like some species is growing inside it? That really shocked me.
Yeah i never did like the taste of the water there...a bit saltish taste.
Dancing Queen - We drink bottled water. Cook with bottled water. But brush teeth and shower use the filtered groundwater lah. So far..okay.
Jonzz - Aiya. Indonesia lah.
Wen - Yup.
Sting - I donno leh. Probably a research may have been commissioned...but whether the money really goes to researchers is another thing lah...
wmd - Yeah..and some people can still fish and eat the fish from these longkangs. I supposed not that POLLUTED since fishies can still survive!
And my dear...you are not supposed to drink water from the tap lah.
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