|
|
Article: BORDERING ON ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER.
- Article from:
- Environmental Health Perspectives
- Article date:
- July 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Mexico and the United States meet along a rugged and culturally diverse border that is awash in poverty. Millions of people live on the border, drawn by employment opportunities from industry and agriculture. Booming growth is expected to continue, with forecasters predicting a doubling of the border population from its current level of 10.5 million over the next 20 years. More than two-thirds of this growth is expected to occur on the Mexican side. The influx of people to this area has for decades outstripped the capacity of border towns and cities to provide adequate housing, clean water, sanitation, and other services for their populations, and a large percentage of the ...