Panama Forum

llseldon
Joined 2013
Posts: 3205

10 years ago

Water Woes in Chiriqui

10 years ago

From a Boquete blog:

Water Woes, an annual event

BoqueteNing.com is replete with people discussing a lack of water in parts of Boquete. One post in particular caught my eye.

"As we all know it`s dry season, so a lack of potable water is usually inevitable. We live in El Frances and are now on day 12 with no water. We are not alone some neighbors are without also. Yet down the road a small way, everything is fine, lots of water. We`ve signed a petition, took it to the mayor`s office, what a joke that is, we get the usual array of excuses, fixing the reservoir, a truck backed into the pipes, broken lines etc. it all comes down to no pressure, evidently, some guy turns areas off and others on, at various times. It was asked if he could open the valve more, this time the excuse was, he was going to, but someone, said if he did they`d kill him, go figure. We are so fed up with this, we thought Panama was a great place to retire,, now I just want out and to head back home." Link

I have written a great deal about water in Boquete over the years, because it is a major issue. The issue is complicated by the fact that our water is Balkanized, Boquete has many aqueducts and water systems, it also has many elected water juntas that run the aqueducts. None of the systems in Boquete are operated by IDAAN the national aqueduct. This reality is both good and bad, it is bad when the system fails and no one takes any action, it is good when the system fails and you and your neighbors can fix the problem without needed permission from the Capital.

Having four years as a Vocal on the Alto Jaramillo Water Junta has taught be a lot about the fragility of the water systems in Boquete. First and most dramatic is the seasonality of water. There is no potable water storage, there are no reservoirs here except those for hydro electric projects and that water is rerouted from rivers for power, usually downstream from potable water intakes. Potable water usually is captured high in the mountains and routed through PVC distribution systems from the various aqueducts, often without burial of the pipes. Pure mountain spring water is often contaminated with bacteria due to broken pipes. At times, during the dry season the sources turn from raging rivers into dry creeks and water is rationed by turning it on and off or water is unavailable. Anyone who owns property here should have water storage tanks on their property.

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