Like everywhere in the universe, water is very important in the Philippines, not least because the Philippines consists of seven thousand one hundred seven islands completely surrounded by the stuff. What’s more, we’re in the rainy season, when water comes down from the sky an ocean at a time in any of the twenty tropical storms that swamp the place annually. To the delight of mosquitos and rice farmers alike, the rains pool nicely, slowly seeping into the rich volcanic soils, engendering life itself.  Also, death.

You see, despite water being all around, up and down, little of it is safe to drink. You know those hundreds of billions of dollars spent by NASA, the European Space Agency, Russia’s Roscosmos, and the China National Space Administration trying to find water on Mars and the moons of Saturn and under your grandmother’s mattress? I’m beginning to think it wasn’t purely a scientific undertaking. If you can’t find drinkable water here, there’s a problem. A very big problem. Continue reading 05. …And Not a Drop to Drink →