Mayors Federation calls for appointment of PRASA metro region director to deal with water woes

Ángel Morales Vázquez, executive director of the Mayors Federation of Puerto Rico

By THE STAR STAFF

Amid persistent problems with drinking water service in the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority’s (PRASA) metropolitan region, Ángel Morales Vázquez, executive director of the Mayors Federation of Puerto Rico and a member of the public corporation’s governing board, has called for the immediate appointment of a regional director to help stabilize operations.

In a letter sent to PRASA Executive President Luis González Delgado and the authority’s governing board on Monday, Morales Vázquez expressed deep concern over the ongoing service interruptions affecting thousands of residents in the San Juan metropolitan area. He also backed the public statements made earlier by San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo, who again sounded the alarm over communities without water following repairs to a pump at the Carraízo reservoir. Among the affected sectors are Lloréns Torres, Ocean Park, Playita and Santa Teresita.

“In my capacity as executive director of the Mayors Federation of Puerto Rico and as the Federation’s representative on the PRASA Governing Board, I request that the PRASA’s leadership urgently implement operational corrective measures to stabilize service in the metropolitan region,” Morales Vázquez wrote.

He further asked the agency to present a technical report detailing post-repair production, pressure, and distribution metrics, as well as evidence to substantiate PRASA’s assertion that “high consumption” is responsible for continued outages. He also requested an immediate action plan outlining concrete measures, responsible personnel, and specific deadlines.

Morales Vázquez urged the PRASA governing board to prioritize the matter at its next scheduled meeting this Friday. He asked that PRASA leadership provide a list of candidates for the vacant metropolitan regional director position, explain the delays in making a permanent appointment, and present a comprehensive operational plan to address what he described as an escalating crisis.

“We don’t want more excuses. We demand immediate solutions, transparency, and accountability,” he wrote. “Although this latest impact falls primarily on San Juan, these events reflect recurring operational problems that have affected various areas of the corporation. The public needs present leadership in the metropolitan region, clear information, and swift action. Water is an essential service and cannot be subject to improvisation.”]

On Sunday, González Delgado, the PRASA chief, responded to the San Juan mayor’s complaint that water service in the metro region “is a mess.”

“To claim that the Metropolitan Region lacks leadership or capacity is incorrect and unfair to the staff who have worked day and night,” González Delgado said in a written statement. “[PRASA Executive Vice President] Engineer [Luis] Ortiz Salgado has led the operational efforts and addressed each situation with the rigor, commitment, and preparedness that a complex and deteriorated system demands. It is important to remember that for almost two decades, much of this infrastructure operated with temporary solutions that addressed situations momentarily but did not resolve the root problems. Today, that accumulated backlog is part of the bill the system is facing.”

“To date, we have seen an advanced recovery of the system, with the majority of San Juan residents now having their service restored; only 1% of customers remain without service,” González Delgado added. “We acknowledge that there are still communities experiencing intermittent service and low pressure, which is mainly due to the high levels of consumption recorded in the region. This is expected after weeks of interruptions, as homes and businesses carry out accumulated tasks, which can delay the full restoration of pressure in some sectors.”

Romero had insisted, however, that the service problems “existed before the [Carraízo] repair … and continues afterward.”

“We can understand a natural disaster or an unexpected break. That happens,” the mayor said. “What is unacceptable is that, after the announcement of the Carraízo pump repair, communities like Llorens Torres, Playita, Santa Teresita, Ocean Park, and nearby areas still have no water at all or only intermittent service.”