【Mexico City INPS Japan=Guillermo Ayala Alanis】
In Mexico, 12 million people lack drinking water services and almost 9 million do not have piped water. UNAM organized a science festival where the water problem was approached with a perspective of possible solutions and not a crisis. ｜JAPANESE｜SPANISH｜
With more than 500 activities, including open-air talks, films, workshops, exhibitions and concerts, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM, held the twelfth edition of the Science and Humanities Festival, in the facilities of the Science Museum, UNIVERSUM.
The main theme of this edition of the event was water, its care, importance and fundamental role for the life of all species that inhabit the planet.
Author: Guillermo Ayala.
With the slogan “Water, our vital challenge”, the organizers emphasized that the Science and Humanities Festival 2024 sought to be a playful space for learning and generating critical thinking, in which the aim is to share the knowledge of academics, scientists and students from various universities and national and international institutions. “This year we decided to focus on water because it is a current issue and a topic that demands urgency to reflect on it… We do not want to focus on the crisis part… we also wanted to address water from different perspectives and especially from a multidisciplinary scope that would allow us to see the possible solutions for the conservation and care of water,” said Milagros Varguez, member of the organizing committee and Director of Science Diffusion Media, UNAM.
Water in Mexico is a serious problem that requires immediate attention from authorities, scientists and civil society. A study conducted by the Mexican Council of Social Sciences reported that 12 million people lack drinking water services; UNAM also reported that almost 9 million people do not have piped water service, while 13 million lack sanitation infrastructures so the dissemination of studies and research on access, care and sanitation of water are important for the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goal # 6 “Clean water and sanitation”.
The professor of the Universidad de las Americas Puebla and Director of the UNESCO Chair, Benito Corona Vázquez highlighted that the trend in studies on water care and sanitation point to have the vital liquid in sufficient quantity and quality in an increasingly changing world, “we are living in an era in which hydrometeorological extremes are happening more and more frequently and then how do we ensure that quantity and quality of water… ‘We have to generate clearer and more tangible elements so that decision makers can generate the next step’.
Furthermore, Ariana Mendoza Fragoso from the Institute of Social Research of the UNAM commented that access to quality water is a fundamental right that, if not guaranteed, has other serious consequences for the affected communities such as violence and social inequality, situations that also hinder the fulfillment of other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as the end of poverty, zero hunger, reduction of inequalities, as well as health and welfare; Ariana Mendoza also participated in a talk on the paradox of the Valley of Mexico… a place in which, although the water issue is always a political issue, it is not only environmental or ecological. a place where, although during the rainy season, the region is capable of flooding, there are also communities that suffer from the constant shortage of the vital liquid. He urged the audience to denaturalize the lack of water and react so that the authorities guarantee access to the liquid “We must not assume that there is nothing to do, but that we must talk about the issue all the time, disseminate it in order to denaturalize it and also think that alternatives are possible to achieve them”.
New technologies and artificial intelligence were also present at the Science and Humanities Fair to help care for water, professors Ricardo Castañeda and Selene Martínez, from the Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, UNAM are directing a podcast called “Aguas con el agua” (Water with water… an expression that in México meaning: Be careful with water), which aims to show young people that new technologies can be used to address social and sustainable issues, in addition to teaching the new generations that their participation in the care of water is essential to contribute to the chaining of the culture of saving water from their homes by saving water when bathing, turning off taps, dealing with leaks and avoiding waste.
The seas and their care were also present at the twelfth edition of the Science and Humanities Festival. Daniel Ortiz, archeologist and professional diver, emphasized that the care of sea water is a task that is gaining more and more strength among diving schools. Students and tourists have become aware of the importance of preserving this type of habitat, where a large number of animal and plant species converge, by practicing this activity and closely observing the marine ecosystems. He assured that diving has allowed more people to be more aware and educated about the preservation of the aquatic environment. “People come to diving in a thousand ways and forms, but what is incredible is that we can agree that it is necessary to preserve these oceans”. Mexico is home to the second largest coral reef in the world, the Mesoamerican reef, which extends along the coasts of the State of Quintana Roo, where one of the most touristic places in the country, Cancun, is located in the Yucatan Peninsula.
At the Science and Humanities Festival, the youngest exhibitor was Valentina, who is only 9 years old. Less than a decade old, Valentina, who studies at Centro Escolar Zamá, a school located in the State of Mexico. As part of a research project, Valentina has taken on the task of promoting the study of Axolotls, a species of amphibian characteristic of mexican culture. She shared her wisdom with attendees and exhibitors who were able to find a relationship between her research and activities related to the care of chinampas, water and habitat zones of the axolotl with Valentina’s research and curiosity. “There are many species like the salamander that are in danger of extinction, there are many people who go to the beach a lot and throw garbage in the sea, turtles get entangled, I think it is very important, besides, water is being wasted a lot”.
The Science and Humanities Festival was held on November 15 and 16 and was attended by more than 20 thousand people.
This article is brought to you by INPS Japan in partnership with Soka Gakkai International, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.
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