Water System: Essay You Might Want To Emulate

In his article Water Use, Ethnic Conflict, and Infrastructure in Nineteenth-Century Los Angeles David S. Torres-Rouff explains in what ways early water infrastructure of Los Angeles was an embodiment of cultural and political values. Thus he states that transition from zanjas to pipes illuminates European American desire to re-establish political power in this city, thus spreading capitalistic values and perspectives on water use and denying Mexican Californian views on water infrastructure. Mexican Californians created equal access to water supply which put community needs before individual, while European Americans envisioned water infrastructure as a tool to earn money thus limiting community needs. Although, pipes were decreasing threat of various diseases at the same time they, also, increased inequality and racial prejudice. For instance, government`s refusal to build sewers in Mexican American and Chinese areas created a stereotype of Mexicans and Chinese as diseased races which only escalated in future. As can be seen early water infrastructure of Los Angeles illuminates capitalistic and monopolistic values of the European American along with harsh pressure on other races who were not eager to abandon zanjas.
It should be mentioned that my understanding of urban water system was enhanced by a number of facts. First, I found out that water infrastructure can be a tool of speculation no less powerful than money or political power, for instance water infrastructure in nineteenth-century Los Angeles. The second fact was that fact that threat of water transmitted diseases remains despite evolvement of water systems. Finally it had broaden my perception of water infrastructure in a way that it has a lot of flaws like threat of floods or water contamination and there are a lot of reforms were done but we are far from consumption safety and the water struggle, like in Africa unfortunately continues.