Health Problems Along the Laredo Border

8/7/2019 Health Problems Along the Laredo Border

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Health Problems along the

Laredo Border

These slides show conditions along the Laredo/Nuevo

Laredo border area from the late 1970s to the late 1980s.They were used in presentations by Victor Oliveros,Laredo Health Department, during that time period.


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Nuevo Laredo colonias

The demise of an active binational environmental health program, thedevaluation of the peso in the early 1980s , and a large increase in populationon both sides of the border led to deteriorating environment in both bordercities.


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Cardboard Home

Squatters or paracaidistas build homes from whatever they are able to

find.


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Colonia Volutad y Trabajo public water faucet

It is estimated that approximately 40,000 people live in Cardboard

Town. The water supply is very limited, perhaps with only a single faucet

in the middle of each block.


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Sewage in the streets of Rio Bravo, TX

Most colonia homes are not hooked up to sewer lines and sewage flows

freely in the streets toward the river.


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Nuevo Laredo house by river south of Laredo

Community College

Other population centers have also been created by squatters some on

the very banks of the river and again lacking basic facilities and in

generally the same condition as Cardboard Town.


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Nuevo Laredo view from mouth of Zacate Creek

Some of these population centers as well as the problems they

create are easily seen from the U.S. side of the border.


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Nuevo Laredo sewage running over dump

site directly into the river

Sewage flows freely down the banks and solid waste is disposed of directly

into the river, contributing to an already serious problem of water

contamination in the Rio Grande.


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Nuevo Laredo - Close up of river bend with garbage

floating south of Laredo Community College

Some of these slides were taken from a boat floating on the river, and even

though they may look pretty, in some cases resembling waterfalls, they are

not. While you can capture the sights you cannot captures the smells

emanating from them.


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Nuevo Laredo

small sewage

outfall spilling into

the river


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Nuevo Laredo man getting water from the river

to use for cooking and drinking

While a majority of homes have drinking water piped to their homes,

others use the river water. Increasing sewer lines will eliminate the need

for pit privies, but may actually worsen the problem as more sewage is

dumped directly into the river.


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Nuevo Laredo Colector las Americas

draining into the river

With only two-thirds of its 350,000

inhabitants being served with sewer lines,

Nuevo Laredo discharges 24,000,000gallons of raw sewage into the river daily

through 16 outlets. If the number of

sewer lines is increased, the raw sewage

discharge will increase.


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Nuevo Laredo fecal matter floating on the river

by Colector las Americas


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Nuevo Laredo water plant intake south of

Laredo Community College and downtown Laredo

Some of the discharges were located up-

river from the Nuevo Laredo water

treatment plan intake, thus addingmillions of gallons of contaminated

water to the Rio Grande prior to

treatment.


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Nuevo Laredo sewage pond east of Nuevo

Laredo by Club Campestre; waterfowl flying,

sewage floating, dump on the right

Not all of the raw sewage is discharged directly into the river. Some runs

in the streets and collects in several ponds on the outskirts of Nuevo

Laredo.


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Nuevo Laredo sewage pond - east ofColonia

Infonavit east of Nuevo Laredo by the river

At least one sewage pond (about 6 acres in size) is located immediately adjacent to

one of the most populous areas of Nuevo Laredo. An even larger pond is located in

the southern part of Nuevo Laredo near a rapidly growing commercial and

residential area.


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Nuevo Laredo - pig raising in a dump site next to

Club Campestre

Pepenadores (scavengers) have set up their homes on dump sites such as this one in the northwest

part of Nuevo Laredo and make their living sorting through salvageable garbage and breeding

cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. The caretaker in this picture was killed a week later to steal

his watch.


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Our border poses no barrier to the spread of disease or disease-carrying

vectors animals, insects, and humans move with ease between Mexico

and the U.S.

Laredo waste tires, accumulation of trash,potential dengue problem because of mosquito

breeding


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Laredo colonia, dog loose during rabies

epidemic

The two Laredos form a community of nearly million people. This is

the real dilemma of border sister cities. We are divided; yet we exist as

one community, estranged but dependent on one another.


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International Bridge looking toward Nuevo Laredo

Time is running out, and we must do something about our future. Our

very lives depend on it. It is imperative that we formulate a strategy to

improve the health and well-being of the border region.

Documents

Health Problems Along the Laredo Border