Water authority contemplates rationing

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The extension of the dry season is affecting the levels of Lake Alajuela, which supplies water to the treatment plant that supplies most of Panama City.

1,897Views 0Comments Posted 12/05/2023

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The Federico Guardia Conte water treatment plant, in Chilibre, is experiencing a drop of between 20% and 30% in water production due to the extension of the dry season.

Lake Alajuela – the source of the water that enables the plant to supply practically 100% of the population of the Panamanian capital is 6.2 feet below the minimum required level to operate normally. The water treatment plant extracts water from the lake through a pumping system.

The reduction in the flow of the lake has made it necessary to use greater force to extract the water. This has caused the pumping capacity to decrease and, therefore, the production of water.

The drop in production could lead to a reduction in distribution and consumption.

Juan Antonio Ducruet, director of the Institute of National Aqueducts and Sewers (Idaan), said Friday:" It is a "very difficult situation. There are damages in the upper parts of the city," He added that they are monitoring the levels of Lake Alajuela several times a day, to assess its recovery. If it continues to decrease, he does not rule out declaring an "emergency" through the Ministry of the Environment (Miambiente). "We are in that evaluation," he said, referring to the emergency.