education

Schools lacking water

Students at schools in the Darién are suffering from various diseases, such as diarrhea and skin problems, because of a lack of clean drinking water.

According to education officials from the province, 98 percent of the 198 schools there do not have access to treated water. Of those, about half depend on water carried to the building from local rivers. The other half have running water in the schools, but it comes directly from untreated sources. Only four of the schools are connected to a water treatment plant.

The information was confirmed by Tiberio Cabrera, assistant regional director of the Ministerio de Educación in the Darién. Teacher Ricardo Castillo, who works in the region, said that it is unacceptable for schools to not have access to clean water. “Anyone who comes to work has to consume and wash with water from the river,” he said. Despite numerous complaints over the years, nothing has been done to resolve the problem.

In some areas, latrines outside the schools have been set up for students because there is no running water inside. Larger schools have encountered serious problems with a lack of restroom facilities, because not enough temporary latrines have been erected.

The Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados Nacionales (Idaan) administers four water treatment plants in the Darién. It also has two aqueducts that provide water to some communities.

The government has been criticized about water service and the poor condition of public schools.