HEALTH AND HYGIENE IN THE COLONIAS - WATER AND DISEASE

The colonias of the US-Mexico border are home to hundreds of thousands of people who reside in conditions that would be unacceptable anywher e else in the country. The community health problems of the colonias a re many and varied, but environmental contamination ranks among the mo st pervasive. Contamination of water supplies is an especially signifi cant risk to the health of these communities. The health and environme ntal problems of colonias are a phenomenon limited to the border regio n; however, they become problems of national and international importa nce as the economic development of the border increases as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement.