Mexican sewage divers submerge in murky world

Yahoo ^ | 12/19/2006 | Monica Medel

[DemforBush]

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Julio Cesar Cu wanted to be an oceanographer but instead he swims through foul-smelling sewage in underground tunnels where the occasional dead body bobs beside excrement and car parts.

[Diver Dave]

Well now, my resume lists journeyman plumber, pipefitter, and Navy Diver.

We used to have a saying in the plumbing trade, "Your crap is our bread and butter."

I've been in some pretty nasty situations, but this is where I'd have to draw the line.

Since this is Mexico, I guess it means "Legals" are doing the jobs that "illegals" won't do.

[Grizzled Bear]

Of coarse; this is why I am grateful to be born a U.S citizen. Unlike my liberal-progressive brother.

Somehow I am sure he would find a way to blame us for the life of the man in the picture.

[rock58seg]

I have claustrophobia. Not bad, but I definitely have it.

I went to test/inspect an older unused sewer line installation in a formerly bankrupt subdivision which was being rehabilitated. The contractor actually had one of the workers crawl through 2500 feet of 18" line. End to end to determine areas that required repair.

Now, thank the Lord, this job is performed by using a small video cam crawler device.

[Kimmers]

Just the idea of crawling through an 18" line gives me the heebie jeebies.....I do admire people who can do that

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Where did it all go, Blanch?

"'We found that the economic value of wastewater used for irrigation represents a significant monetary benefit to both society and these water users,' says Dr. Chris Scott, the IWMI researcher leading this project."

From the International Water Management Institute web site.

At least some of Mexico's agriculture irrigation "serves as a defacto water treatment facility with significant retention of contaminants."

[rahbert]

and we eat this produce ...????

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Well, I don't buy it unless the bin in the local supermarket says grown in the USA or Canada. The largest Sacramento area chain has a cute trick: they label it "grown in USA, Mexico, or Canada." I skip those bins, also.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

A statement of the benefits (with one trifling concern, public health) of our federal government's free-trade globalization, agriculture sector:

"In developing countries, wastewater irrigation has the potential to offer equally important advantages and dangers to people's health and the environment. Whatever the perceptions, the simple truth is: in these countries, wastewater irrigation is a fact of life. IWMI's research is looking at the health and environmental impacts of this practice - to help planners set effective wastewater irrigation policies."

[My emphasis]

[Jeff Chandler]

"Your crap is our bread and butter."

That reminds me of the time I asked the garbage truck driver how long it took him to get used to the smell. His answer? "Smells like money to me." He pulls down 60+.

[TexasRepublic]

Hey, its a shitty job but someone's got to do it!