public services

La Chorrera without potable water

La Chorrera is without potable water after flooding shut down a water purification plant.

Idaan officials predict that water service will be restored to the area by Thursday.

Virgilio De León/LA PRENSA

dry spell: Residents in La Chorrera resort to catching rainwater that falls off of their roofs after an Idaan water purification plant broke down last Friday. This Idaan water truck arrived to provide some relief over the weekend. 1069253

Thousands of La Chorrera residents are going on their fourth day without potable water after floods caused engines at a purification plant to malfunction last Friday.

The Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados Nacionales (Idaan) reported it sent the engine to a workshop in the capital for repairs, which hadn’t been finished as of yesterday.

Jaime Juárez, regional director for Idaan in Panamá Oeste, said that the engine could be installed today, but that the plant’s system wouldn’t be up and running until water returns to the pipes. That means La Chorrera’s water service will be restored on Thursday at the earliest.

In the meantime, desperate residents such as Olmedo Quintero, who lives in the neighborhood of Loma Virgin of Guadeloupe, have resorted to collecting rainwater in buckets.

His resourcefulness is a result of going without water several times, a common event in the La Chorrera area, he said.

Resident Aurora Hernández rejoiced after Idaan responded to her pleas for help yesterday and sent a water truck to the area to fill tanks. She confirmed that problems with the potable water service in the area are becoming increasingly common.

Juárez explained that the purification plant has not stopped working completely, but rather water production has been reduced by around 50 percent. For this reason, Idaan may stagger the water supply by closing valves to areas unaffected by the shortage, and redirecting water to areas lacking service.

He also reported that the installation of new filters at the plant has added to the delay in restoring the water to the area. This project will increase the plant’s capacity by around 3 million gallons.

This project will complement the installation of a new pipeline aimed at conducting potable water from the plant in Las Mendoza to La Chorrera. Idaan crews await orders to start work on the project.