A Quest for Water
Tuesday, 01 February 2011 21:40
Armed with nothing more than everyday shoes and a small jug of water, people are crossing the Sonoran Desert into the United States. Being unprepared for such a harsh terrain would kill even the strongest of people, and it has. Every year, several hundred migrants illegally crossing the border die from dehydration.
Humane Borders is working side-by-side with officials to reduce the number of deaths in the desert.
In June 2000, Humane Borders, a faith-motivated group, was formed to help create a more humane environment on the U.S. Border with Mexico. Their number one goal is to reduce the number of migrants dying in the desert, said Sofia Gomez, executive director for Humane Borders.
To help with their goal, in 2001 Humane Borders created a network of water that is placed in the desert to help lower the number of migrant deaths from dehydration. Today, 38 water stations are operating in Arizona with hundreds of volunteers maintaining them, she said.
With information from Border Patrol and other agencies, Humane Borders has been able to map the migrant routes by plotting the locations of deaths in the desert. Water is then placed on the trails to prevent future deaths, Gomez said.
The water stations are blue, 55-gallon barrels stamped with "Agua" on the side. Each barrel is raised up off the ground by a steel stand and fitted with a spigot. Thirty feet above, next to the station, stands a blue flag waving in the wind to help make the water more visible to passing migrants.
"Blue is the international sign for water and there isn't any blue in the desert naturally so it's easier to see," Gomez said.
The stations are maintained on a regular basis, more often in the summer months, by volunteers driving Humane Borders four-wheel-drive custom trucks.
"These trucks are fully equipped with a water reservoir, water pump and hoses to fill the water stations," Gomez said.
The trucks also carry extra supplies to fix anything broken at the site or replace any vandalized equipment. The barrels have been found full of bullet holes and flags found bent in half. More so during the hunting season, she said.
Having to replace all the equipment is a costly expense for the non-profit organization. Because of the vandalizing, Human Borders is not able to provide maps with the location of water stations, Gomez said.
Written by David McErlean You are reading A Quest for Water articles
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