Hundreds of families in the Ernesto Córdoba Campos district of Panama City are enduring a severe and persistent potable water shortage. Residents report receiving water only in the middle of the night, a crisis that has drastically degraded their quality of life and health standards over recent months.
The issue is concentrated in four specific neighborhoods: Jardines de Sevilla, Casa Real, Posada del Roble, and Altos de Sevilla. People living there must wake between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. to collect water in tanks, bottles, and any available containers. The water that does arrive is often murky and unfit for consumption, forcing families to spend extra money on bottled water for drinking and cooking.
Residents Describe Exhausting Routine and Official Inaction
Community members describe a sharp decline in service. They once had 24-hour supply with only lower pressure on weekends. Now, water simply does not flow during daytime hours or on weekends at all. This relentless schedule leads to physical exhaustion as residents struggle to manage work and daily responsibilities after interrupted sleep.
Frustration is mounting over the perceived lack of effective response from the National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (IDANN). While residents say they have held meetings with institute officials and submitted formal reports detailing the shortages, they claim no concrete solution has been provided. The situation, they argue, violates basic rights to health and hygiene.
“This situation generates physical exhaustion, given that we then have to fulfill our workdays after sleepless nights,” one resident stated. [Translated from Spanish]
Some locals speculate the problem may be linked to new housing developments in the Panamá Norte District. They believe increased demand from these projects is overwhelming the existing infrastructure. The potable water crisis in this area is part of broader water management challenges facing the region.
Call for Urgent Action as Health Concerns Grow
The ongoing scarcity forces difficult choices. Families are allocating a significant portion of their monthly budgets to purchase safe drinking water. Using the discolored tap water for bathing or cleaning remains a constant concern, raising alarms about potential skin irritations and other health risks.
Residents are now issuing a public demand for immediate intervention. They assert that the current conditions fail to guarantee a dignified standard of living. The community’s plight in rdoba campos highlights how infrastructure strain can directly impact public well-being.
Without a swift upgrade to water distribution systems or a new sustainable source, these Panamá Norte neighborhoods face an indefinite future of nightly vigils and uncertain water quality. The ball is now in the court of authorities to deliver a permanent fix.