Political Quotes

“in Alaska, the problem is clear. Residents of rural villages in Alaska do not have either adequate drinking water or human sanitation facilities in their homes and communities. As a result, sickness and disease, comparable to many Third World countries, are major problems for many communities. In over half of the villages in Alaska, water is hauled to the home by hand from washeterias, watering points, or from a creek or river--a washeteria is a centrally located building within a community where washing and drying machines are available. Washeterias also contain public showers. In many of the homes where water is hauled by hand, a trash can is used as the water storage tank. Water for drinking, hand washing, and doing the dishes comes from this household trash can. Of existing water service levels in rural Alaska: Only 40 percent of rural Alaskans have piped water to their residence; 30 percent use a washeteria; 20 percent use a year round watering point; 7 percent have individual wells; and 3 percent have no system. According to these figures, less than half of the residents living in rural Alaska villages have the basic water supply system we all take for granted, piped water to their homes. Imagine half the residents in Washington, DC, living without running water or toilets that flush. The results of having inadequate water and sanitation facilities are tragic. Hepatitis A runs rampant among villagers--causing death in some cases.…”