{
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    {
    
    "id":"mexico_sewerdiving",
    

    "smil":"http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/data/xml/mexico_sewerdiving.smil",

    "title":"Sewer Diving",

    "transcript":"\u003Cp\u003Ep.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt\u003B font\u002Dsize: 12pt\u003B font\u002Dfamily: \u0022Times New Roman\u0022\u003B }div.Section1 { page: Section1\u003B }\u000D\u000A\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThey’re the bowels of one of the world’s largest and most polluted cities, where disease runs rampant and the stench is sickening. Human excrement, toxic waste, rotting cadavers…all flowing right beneath the sidewalk.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe sewers of Mexico City are as disgusting as any on earth.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EBut this man, Carlos Barrios, has just given up a comfortable desk job for the opportunity to swim in them.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EIt’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon and Carlos is pulling a dead dog out of the sewer.  He’s making sure that the waste water of Mexico City stays where it belongs.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ESOUNDBITE (English)\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E“We pull up all the things you can imagine. You can see chairs, cars, all kind of wastes. Anything you like, it’s in the drains.”\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ESUPER CAPTION: Carlos Barrios, Sewer Diver\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ELocated in a massive basin, Mexico City is a crowded, industrial colossus. Its sewer lines stretch for thousands of miles, some following channels dug by the Aztecs. The sewers are severely overtaxed\u0026gt\u003B Not only must they accommodate run\u002Doff from the mountains, but also the waste from the toilets and sinks of 19 million people.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe slightest blockage can send sewage flowing into the streets and subways, or worse, into the homes of thousands.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EAt age 45, Carlos decided to leave his job as an accountant to join the team that keeps these sewers flowing. \u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ESOUNDBITE (English)\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E“I had worked for the city about 24 years. When I get bored with the office job, the opportunity came for me to dive and I took it. It was a great change for me. I changed my life completely.”\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ESUPER CAPTION: Carlos Barrios, Sewer Diver\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EBack at the base, the team receives an emergency call. The Alculco Pumping Plant has a mysterious blockage and it needs to be cleared immediately. Once again, the dirty job falls to Carlos.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ENAT SOUND (Spanish translated to English)\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E“Be calm and careful. If anything happens, don’t despair. I will be the one to make decisions. We will be very safe. It is Carlos’s life, so we will be careful.”\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ECarlos has no idea what to expect. Garbage and human waste aren’t the only things dumped into these sewers. Julio’s team alone has hauled out more than a dozen corpses, most of them murder victims.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EAlone in this dark, claustrophobic environment, Carlos must remain calm and focused. Confusion can mean death.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ECarlos tries not to think about the soup of bacteria he’s swimming in, including tetanus, typhoid and cholera. His suit protects him, but it isn’t armor.  A sharp puncture could wreak havoc.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ESOUNDUP (English)\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E“If the suit is cut and you cut your skin also, you have to get to the hospital because of the environment. It’s very contaminated.”\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ESUPER CAPTION: Carlos Barrios, Sewer Diver\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EAfter a half\u002Dhour search, Carlos locates the obstruction.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ENAT SOUND (Spanish translated to English)\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E“There is a metallic object. I’m going to touch it to see what it is.”\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E“Roger.”\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe obstruction turns out to be a rusty wheel from an old sewage pump. Once they’ve located it, the team makes swift work of the problem.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EIt’s been a successful mission for Carlos. But before he can undress, he must be washed and scrubbed down with a disinfectant.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EIn his new job, Carlos has found a renewed sense of purpose. \u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ESOUNDBITE (English)\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E“I feel like I be someone who makes people live better. That kind of sense of being good, being helpful and to be in a job that makes the people have a good service.”\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ESUPER CAPTION: Carlos Barrios, Sewer Diver\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EWith infinite amounts of sewage to tend to, Carlos has got plenty to keep him busy in the bowels of Mexico City.\u003C/p\u003E",

    "description":"\u003Cp\u003EMeet the man who swims through human excrement, toxic waste, and rotting cadavers to keep Mexico City\u0027s wastewater where it belongs.\u003C/p\u003E",
    
    
    "credit":"National Geographic",
    
    

    
    
    
    "still":"http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/media/mexico_sewerdiving/mexico_sewerdiving_480x360.jpg",
    
    
    

    
    "allowUserEmbed":"True",
    

    "url":"http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/places/regions-places/us-canada-and-mexico/mexico_sewerdiving/",

    "related":
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        "link":
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                 "url":"http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/mexico\u002Dguide/"
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                ,{
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                 "url":"http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/mexico\u002Dmap/"
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}