Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller dives into the critical issue of water safety in Latin America, discussing the pollution of natural water sources, the importance of filtration systems, and the growing water crisis in Costa Rica and Brazil. He provides practical advice on water filtration, storage, and emergency preparedness, while also touching on the broader implications of environmental and social issues in the region.
Johnny begins by emphasizing the importance of safe water in Latin America, noting that most water sources are polluted and that expats should never drink from lakes or rivers without a water filter. He shares his personal setup, including a water filter system, auxiliary pumps, and cisterns, and recommends having backup water supplies for emergencies. He also mentions the use of portable water filters and the importance of not relying on bottled water from cruise ships or hotels.
The discussion then shifts to the water supply challenges in Latin America, focusing on the inconsistency of municipal water supply and the impact of overuse. Johnny explains that while some areas, like Costa Rica, had relatively good water supply in the past, this is changing due to population growth and increased tourism. He highlights the reliance on cisterns and private water systems and warns that water shortages are becoming a significant issue, with government intervention now limiting new development.
Johnny also discusses the severe water crisis in Costa Rica, highlighting government actions and their consequences. The Costa Rican government has mandated the registration and regulation of non-governmental water sources, which many communities missed the deadline for, leading to construction permit denials. Water shortages have impacted hotels, agriculture, and daily life, with some areas experiencing only three hours of municipal water per day. The segment also criticizes the government for continuing to issue hotel construction permits despite the crisis, drawing a parallel to Brazil's São Paulo, which is also facing a severe drought.
The podcast segment then turns to the severe water crisis in São Paulo, Brazil, highlighting the drastic decline in reservoir levels, the impact on local communities, and the underlying environmental and deforestation issues contributing to the crisis. It also touches on the broader implications of the drought, such as its effect on coffee production, and shifts to a discussion about cultural and social dynamics among expats and locals in Latin America.
Finally, Johnny discusses the high fertility and testosterone rates in Latin America, attributing them not to environmental factors like water or climate, but to the absence of certain chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, GMOs, and pharmaceuticals. He notes that these substances are common in first-world countries but less prevalent in Latin America, though they are starting to trickle in with the influence of transnational agricultural companies. Johnny also highlights the disparity in pharmaceutical use, noting that such substances are mostly used by the wealthy upper 2% in Latin America, often referred to as 'gringo wannabes.' He suggests that exposure to these chemicals in the first world may lower testosterone levels in Latin boys who migrate there, though he acknowledges the lack of testing on this claim. The segment also touches on the cultural sensitivity of discussing such topics in a Catholic country and briefly shifts to a discussion about coffee production in Brazil.
Topics
Water safety in Latin America, Water filtration systems, Cisterns and auxiliary pumps, Emergency water supplies, Portable water filters, Water supply in Latin America, Municipal water systems, Water shortages and overuse, Cisterns and private water systems, Water crisis in Costa Rica, Government regulation of water sources, Impact on tourism and agriculture
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:32 Water Safety Concerns in Latin America 00:01:08 Personal Water Filter Setup and Recommendations 00:03:19 Water Storage and Usage in Emergencies 00:05:55 Introduction to the Water Situation in Latin America 00:06:19 Johnny's Experience with Water Supply in Latin America 00:11:27 Water Shortages and Government Intervention in Costa Rica 00:11:56 Government Regulation of Water Sources 00:12:54 Water Shortages and Protests in Costa Rica 00:15:00 Government Stupidity and Hotel Construction Permits 00:17:19 Comparison to Brazil's São Paulo Drought 00:18:40 Water Crisis Reaches Rock Bottom in Sao Paulo 00:20:29 Pollution and Climate Change in Brazil 00:22:19 Impact of Drought on Coffee Production 00:24:26 High Fertility and Testosterone Rates in Latin America 00:24:48 Absence of Chemicals in Latin America 00:25:38 Pharmaceutical Use Among the Wealthy 00:26:45 Chemical Exposure and Testosterone Levels
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now as I wander Hello there all you expat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started now You know just lately I've been getting emails about the condition of the water down here in Latin America now They're not talking about is it polluted or not polluted because we know it is inland without exception Practically every lake and river in Latin America is polluted and you should never drink from it
[00:49] Unless of course you've got a nice water filter, which I'm sure you do if you listen to this program In fact, I'll send you the plans for my personal water filter set up that I make nothing off of because you just go out And get the parts yourself at any big pool supply outfit Just email me at the expat files at gmail.com and ask for my water filter plans Of course, it's not really a portable system I have it under the counter at my sink and I can just easily make up a five gallon jug of ultra clean water And maybe 10 minutes So what I do is I have about four those five gallon jugs tucked away in the closet Just as a precaution in case I ever need them for example generally twice a year in any big gated community that has its own Well, you'll get a flyer or a notice on your front door that says they'll be changing or fixing the pump or scrubbing out the tanks
[01:37] Or changing tubes, whatever and no one in the colony will have water for 24 hours or perhaps longer Of course not to worry if you have your own cistern and an auxiliary pump in your house Which I always recommend then that shouldn't bother you at all your cistern will last you for a month if you got a big enough one Which I also recommend that means five or six thousand gallons And then when the guys in charge of the water in your colony They're called fontaneros by the way like fountain fountain arrows There's a word you won't have trouble remembering at all because it sounds like water fountain now I don't know who thought of that word, but it does make sense doesn't it anyway when these Fontaneros cut off the main water supply to do whatever they're gonna do your own personal Auxiliary pump and cistern will kick in and you just might hear that motor switch on
[02:25] But if it's out in your garage or in a shed somewhere you might not hear it at all And the whole process will be seamless and by the way that little self-contained pump along with its little attached tank That has a rubber bladder and an air chamber in it runs anywhere from about 150 to 200 dollars But do remember if you have a cistern and it's underground like I recommend the water has to get pumped out of there somehow and if Electricity goes off because there's a huge storm or hurricane or a tree fell down whatever That's why you want to have a couple of five-gallon jugs of pure water around remember That's the pure water you're gonna use for drinking and cooking you can figure that if you're a good conservationist each person in the house could easily get by and a gallon of that water a day and As for that water in your big cistern if you don't have electricity to get it out with your pump well
[03:14] You can just pull the cover off of it and dip it out by the bucket if you want to use it to take a cub scout Or boy scout bath or whatever which begs the question. What would a girl scout do I wonder? But you know you really don't have to ever be in that position at all if you have a little gas or diesel generator Then if the power goes out just fire that thing up and plug your auxiliary pump into it And you've got water and electricity for those of you who want to know these things a small generator like that maybe 2,500 watts that's all you need you can pick up for between three and five hundred bucks use ones go for half that and don't forget You need to have some fuel around so pick up at least two plastic or metal five-gallon fuel tanks have them full and Outside in a shed or in the garage somewhere, then you really are set for short-term emergencies
[04:02] So like I said I always try to purify my own water and along with a couple of five gallon jugs I also fill up about three or four one gallon jugs to stick in the back of my car in the trunk Of course because then they're not exposed to the Sun as you know You don't want any water in a plastic container exposed to heat and Sun never so in the car I have two glass bottles in my case They're Welch's and Snapple bottles because down here you can still get those bottles in glass with twist off caps So they're perfect water containers inside the car where there might be some Sun that is to say there will be Sun and heat and plenty Of it and I have one of those plastic bottles rolling around on the floor in the backseat of my car somewhere And I have the other one shoved in one of those plastic cup holders that standard equipment on every car these days
[04:53] That said I always have a spare gallon in the trunk of my car for whenever one of my glass bottles in front goes empty Oh, and by the way when I'm traveling without a car, which is quite a bit, too I always carry my trusty Sawyer portable water filter with the katadine charcoal filter adapter So when I'm on the road, I just stick the adapter on any water faucet and there I have pure water 24-7 and where that comes in really handy is if you happen to be on a cruise Because you know those cruise ships really heavily treat their water and I don't trust a thing about it I'm sure you've seen nasty things in the news lately about cruise lines and hundreds of people getting sick, right? Well, I've been on quite a few cruises and I've never been sick Of course I always purify my own water when I'm on them and I take other precautions to which I won't go into now
[05:41] But just note that bottled water that give you in cruise ships and in fact in every decent hotel I wouldn't drink it myself However, you can use it to brush your teeth and like expat Eddie says to lighten up your scotch Anyway, before I get any more sidetracked I was talking about water down here in Latin America Not drinking water But water that comes out of your tap and the reservoirs and watersheds that feed them and I know these recent emails are Concerned from people who see that there are historic droughts causing big problems in the Western US So people want to know how bad the drought is affecting Latin America if at all Well for one thing based on a lot of traveling in Latin America You'd think there was a multi-country Drought going on since when you turn on the tap water in any house that has a municipal water supply
[06:30] That is a government run and operated water supply. You almost never get water out of the tap 24 7 I'd say 12 hours or so is the norm for Latin American municipal water users Now you notice that of course in homes that don't have cisterns that kick in when the municipal water shuts off Which is why smart people who are forced to be a municipal water Systems here because they're in the city or whatever and can't drill a well have at least a small sister And usually on the roof that slowly but surely and dribs and drabs fills up at night when no one's using the tap water Now another water question I often get from people is do all municipal water systems suck like that Can I always count on the sad fact that at least some time during the day there won't be any water at all?
[07:16] Well, it's like this there are cities and subdivisions and districts that have continuous water supply from a municipality But the flow and pressure are piss-poor So then what would you rather have would you either have 12 hours or so of decent water supply and pressure and then almost nothing or? Have water 24 7 but with piss-poor pressure and flow Remember you won't have to deal with any of that if you have your own personal cistern and a pump better yet live in a little Bit upscale gated community that has its own independent water supply. That is a well and its own reservoir, etc Then you never have low pressure flow and you never run out of water But even then you still want a cistern and your own private pump in case they shut down the system to do some repairs Or the electricity goes out etc. Now when I first came down to Latin America
[08:05] I think it was what 25 or so years now can't believe it I spent the first couple of years in Costa Rica and while there back then the Costa Ricans rightfully So we're very proud of their water supply in the cleanliness of their water and with good reason too Because that happened to be one of the very few places in Latin America where you did get high pressure volume and flow 24-7 and relatively clean-looking water from the municipality now, of course, I wouldn't drink from it Even though 25 years ago, I'd say a good 95% of Costa Rica's population drank direct from the tap And so did gringos and tourists because they were advised it was clean enough to drink now You know, I can't tell you the times I was sitting around with a bunch of Costa Ricans in when they were talking about the
[08:50] differences between their country and the rest of the countries in Latin America one of the things they'd always bring up was that they had so much water that they could supply the rest of Central America anyway without any problems at all In fact back then I even listened to some schemes whipped up by gringos and Costa Ricans to pipe the water or habit delivered And to Nicaragua which was noted for having really really ugly and contaminated municipal water Back then I heard so many Costa Ricans laugh and pat themselves on the back about their great water supply, etc So naturally they developed all those casual water wasting habits that we first worlders practice So well like for example vastly over watering their flora gardens lawns and golf courses, etc Taking two even three showers a day and leaving the water run three even four times as long as it has to now
[09:43] That reminds me Costa Ricans would always tell me how much cleaner they were than the rest of the citizens of Latin America because they could just take so many showers and let the water run forever in Fact back then I just had to believe that because it really was the only country in Latin America where people used Water as freely as they do up in the United States I know I've told you some very positive things about the water supply in Costa Rica, but you didn't hear the rest of it Don't be thinking that there's something geologically distinct or even magical about the water tables and reservoirs in Costa Rica Costa Rica as it turns out is no great exception Except for the deserts of Mexico and parts of Chile and Peru and South America Latin America has an overabundance of water. It's just that the people have historically taken it for granted and
[10:30] 98% of them are pretty much totally ignorant about renewable resources recycling preservation and forward-thinking and so they do as humans usually do and they gobble up their Resources until there's a crisis and then they start worrying about it now the real reason why Costa Rica had such an abundant water supply is because they had a Very tiny population to landmass 25 years ago when I was there the population was two and a half million and now it's double that Five million or so so today they have the same water resources with maybe triple the use Because all that new development and population since then were developments catering to tourism and gringos who use three to four times As much water than the average land per day not to mention people on vacation don't care how much water they use or waste
[11:20] That said Costa Rica's days of plentiful water are over and I mean really over now Listen to this according to the Latin American business newspaper El Financiero The water shortage in Costa Rica has caused the Costa Rican Institute of aqueducts and sewers to severely limit new real estate development and building permit approvals in certain areas of Costa Rica the Costa Rican Institute of aqueducts and sewers supplies Water to about half of Costa Rica's population other sources of water come from community managed reservoirs Which serve the other half of the population just recently the Costa Rican government has said all these outside? Non-governmental water sources must be for the first time registered and regulated by the government
[12:09] And it says since many Costa Rican communities missed the September 1st deadline to register They are now denying all construction permits in those areas until they do so Then the article says Unrelated to registering private water sources the water shortages in general are causing some hotels that must now buy their water from the outside To project that the cost of trucking in water will shortly force them to close their doors And it says Costa Rica's agricultural sector is also struggling mightily at least 20 million has been lost in 2014 as a direct result of water shortages according to the Costa Rican Agriculture and Livestock Minister, okay here it comes now
[12:54] Listen to this and let it sink in in the Costa Rican department or Canton of a tennis. I know it well Residents have been staging protests over their water shortages It turns out residents in this area have access to municipal water for get this Three hours a day from 3 a.m. To 6 a.m. And that public schools have been forced to regularly suspend classes as a result of that water shortage In fact according to the Tico times last year thousands of Costa Rican residents went months without a single drop of municipal water and Local government sources are reporting that this year in 2015 in the north central province of Heredia
[13:39] It'll be much worse. And by the way I used to live in Heredia where everyone was on municipal water and let me just fill you in on something back then 2025 years ago unlike most of the rest of Latin America upper middle and wealthy classes of people in Costa Rica We're almost always hooked up to the local municipal supply because you always got a constant high pressure flow Just like up in Cleveland where water pressure was always constant No one would have a cistern or a pump that was unthinkable The same thing went for Costa Rica even in the wealthy gated subdivisions They'd never put in their own well or tower reservoir because municipal water came through the pipes like a gusher 24-7 and now the worst has come no one's prepared
[14:25] So there's panic even the wealthy folks now have to truck in water you think that's a pain in the ass Well, listen to this in yet another very touristy part of Costa Rica called Guanacaste The water shortage is so bad nine hotels in Tamarindo are about to close their doors By the way back then I used to stay in a certain hotel in Tamarindo Beach all the time That was when the tourists were just starting to trickle in back Then there were just a few mom-and-pop hotels and the big ones you see there now They weren't even on the drawing board yet Meanwhile listen to this can governments be any stupider? The article goes on to say in the face of this the Costa Rican Tourism Institute ICT announced earlier that
[15:13] Construction permits for eight new guanacaste hotel projects have already been issued including a very large 500 plus room project in La Cruz and it goes on to say at least 23 large hotels are under construction now That haven't even opened yet and there are more hotel projects with approved Construction permits that have not broken ground yet. And now the topper listen to this one high-level government spokesman said this with all hydro development in the hands of the government here and with hydroelectric responsible for 75 to 80 percent of our power generation any short fall in rain can within one to two weeks Result in reduced electricity generation and rolling blackouts and now
[16:03] Unfortunately, he said the odds have caught up with us now in Costa Rica For so long now in the press and in the first world media We've been touting our very high percentage of hydroelectric generation as the best of all worlds Hoping to become completely independent of any and all outside energy sources. Meanwhile, we've become Dangerously dependent on something we have absolutely no control over rainfall Okay, it's me again. That's real good news out of Costa Rica, huh? Reason two thousand three hundred forty six why you really have to stay far away from that place There you have it. If you're planning to live work plan or retire in Costa Rica with all Undo respect I'd like to say you're frickin nuts and furthermore if you got any land or investments or businesses there
[16:52] Put them up for sale while you still can if you still can and get the hell off the gringo tourist trail And to be even clearer about it all you dumbasses who keep listening to that vice from International living haven't you figured out that once they claim the next new great gringo? Retirement paradise the next so-called Costa Rica. It's already too late. It's all over that said Costa Rica has a severe water problem Wait a minute. Is it just Costa Rica? Well, not quite This article from Spanish BBC last week says in Sao Paulo Brazil The biggest city in South America with over 20 million people hard to imagine that huh? anyway, it says in Brazil's and South America's largest city a historic record dry season and ever increasing demand for water has led to a
[17:44] Punishing drought even though it says it's been actually raining quite heavily over the last few days That has barely made a drop of difference It says the main reservoir system that feeds this immense city is still so Dangerously low that it would take months maybe years of intense heavy rainfall for water levels to return to anything like normal And everyone knows even some government people that's not gonna happen So then how does a country that produces an estimated 12% of the world's fresh water end up with such a terrible and chronic? Shortage especially in the biggest most economically important city in all of South America Then it goes on to say it's interesting to note that both state local and federal governments have been very slow in
[18:30] Acknowledging the crisis at all Meanwhile at the main Kanta Ria reservoir system which feeds most of the city's insatiable demand for water Things have reached rock bottom huge pipes never seen before are now sticking way up above the reservoir Because for the first time in history the reservoir is dipping below 10% of its normal capacity In other words, the levels are down by a whopping 90% Then the article goes on to say as never before the odd local villager now wanders into the reservoir Hoping for a temporary windfall of fish that flounder in the tiny pools of water that remain people who once Depended entirely on that reservoir are now starting to carry as many Jerry cans
[19:19] Empty plastic bottles or buckets as they can muster searching in vain for alternative places to fill up Meanwhile in another neighborhood farther away for weeks now pedestrians and cars have been lining up at an emergency Well, some filling up and running back and forth to their homes twice a day In fact in some communities in and around Sao Paulo There are homemade posters pinned to the gates and door frames of houses saying the same messages or plea quote We need water. We need help Now the author of this article interviewed some people who were filling up at the emergency Well and putting cans in their car in this case a guy named Gilberto and his wife Now he says they almost broke out into laughter when the author Suggested to them that according to an interview with Sao Paulo state government officials
[20:07] They said quote the situation is manageable and there'll be no need for water rationing to that the guy filling up Gilberto said they must be living on another planet There's been no water in our pipes for a month now But here it's not nearly as bad as it is in outlying communities where they've had water rationing since February about a year then it goes on to say Sao Paulo and in fact all of Brazil is a completely polluted country It says in the Sao Paulo vicinity itself open sewers everywhere mean that the big city's rivers are completely polluted They're now part of the problem instead of part of the solution during drought times because people are now Going to the rivers and gathering up their water completely untreated and polluted water
[20:57] So then you might ask is all this due to simple bad luck and the cyclical lack of rain Well according to Antonio Nobre one of the country's most respected earth scientists and climatologists He says there is plenty of evidence to say that continued deforestation in and around the Amazon region that Along with the almost complete disappearance of the once gigantic Atlantic forest region both have drastically altered the Brazilian climate in fact He says if deforestation in the Amazon continues Sao Paulo will dry up if we don't act now He says we're lost by the way I doubt you realize the following number one Did you know that Brazil is the biggest coffee producer in the world and it produces half or 50% of all the coffee?
[21:45] That's used in Expressos and cappuccinos that at a big coffee And did you know that the average yield of coffee cherries? That's what they call them from your average normal coffee tree or bush is Around a hundred kilograms of those little cherries a year now half of that weight is in the seed or the berry So what's that got to do with anything well with this unprecedented drought in Brazil instead of getting 50 kilograms of green coffee beans For a bush or tree this year. They're getting about half that yield which means next year Look for coffee prices to probably double just a little inside tip for you guys and gals out there who play the commodities markets Now let's shift gears completely the other day. I was at one of these big convivios
[22:32] You know these Christmas parties everyone has down here some of them really quite big events anyway I was sitting next to a guy who introduced himself to me a medical doctor a guy who actually did his specialty residency up in Texas Gynecology residency like I had any use for that guy right anyway We got to talking about usual things upscale Latins talk about once they return down here to Latin America and are living back in their Home country again off the gringo tourist trail They're just dying for a first-world fix which they think they're gonna get by talking to a gringo like me They generally love to talk about Superficial pointless boring things like what's happening in Hollywood the media and the usual fallback position when they hear I'm from Chicago Chicago Bulls and US sports now
[23:20] I've noticed that even if when you're with upscale Latin people like this even Successful rich kids whose daddy's sent him to college up in the US They almost never have a depth of knowledge and when you start talking about anything in detail That'll usually put a big damper on the whole encounter But this time as we spoke about illegal immigration pouring into the US Which is a hot topic down here with everyone these days we hit on a very touchy But your main side topic that you won't hear anyone talk about in mixed company not even up in the states It's just way too on PC now somewhere along the discussion where we were talking about wet backs You know illegal aliens and again that term wet back is commonly used down here It's not considered derogatory and again the word in Spanish mojado. So no nasty emails, please
[24:06] Anyway, this guy this gynecologist said that young Latin males 20 years old For example have much higher Testosterone levels than 20 year old first world people and he said they were about twice as fertile Which is one of the reasons why you see so many big families here in Latin America Four and five and six kids and out in the boonies sometimes ten or even twelve kids and he said interestingly enough People in his profession think that the very high fertility and testosterone rates here in Latin America are ubiquitous not because there's something in the water or the food or the climate but because there's something that's not there that is the general absence of pesticides herbicides GMOs prescription and non-prescription drugs animal
[24:55] Antibiotics growth hormones and birth control pills, etc. Etc. All those artificial chemicals You see packed into the medicine cabinets of every first-world family Not to mention the hundreds of chemical additives you see in the boxes and the cans in the foods up in the states And of course this doc admitted all is not pure down here in Latin America Not by any means sure chemicals and preservatives and additives have been trickling in down here But with a big lag time and when big transnational agricultural companies come in they certainly spray the crops but the reality is down here the GMO thing is just now starting to take off and As for the OTC and prescription pharmaceutical craze up north You'll only find first-world style use of that stuff in the upper one or two percent of the very wealthy population
[25:45] That's of course the gringo wannabe crop stands to reason, right? So just remember all you guys up in Milwaukee Seattle and Cleveland your 20-something weekend gardener Julio Or that Latin boy across the street blowing leaves both those guys are packing big-time Testosterone heat and you're not so does that mean you should lock your teenage girls and the women folk in the cellar I don't know don't have any daughters myself now another thing the specialist told me was that one of the very biggest and most promising pharmaceutical growth areas in the States is replacement Testosterone therapy and fertility drugs for men a phenomenon like he said is virtually Non-existent down here in Latin America except in that high-end 2% gringo wannabe crowd
[26:33] Hmm. How's that grab you? Anyway, like the gynecologist said those crazy food additives have been around up in the states for like 50 or so years and GMOs since what 1990 that's 25 years which ties in nicely to the fertility and testosterone thing in those boys in question And he also says that young Latin boys who live in big cities have lower Testosterone rates than country boys, too Now he said no one's done the testing yet But he figures that young latin illegals up in the states if they're there for five years or more and get shipped back He's sure after being exposed up in the first world to those chemicals and additives, etc That their testosterone levels would drop and with that I said if I were you had to watch who I brought that subject up to this is a very Catholic country
[27:22] You know, you might get stoned. I'm sure there's a lot of people who don't want to hear that message Way down among Brazilians coffee beans drove by the billions. So they've got to find those extra cups to fill They got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil You can't get cherry soda cause they've got to sell their quota and the way things are I guess they never will They've got a city tons of coffee in Brazil