Senator targets chronic water service woes in northern region

Sen. Brenda Pérez Soto (Facebook via Senado Puerto Rico)

By THE STAR STAFF

In response to the chronic problems associated with a lack of drinking water service that have for years plagued residents of the Arrozal neighborhood in Arecibo’s Los Muertos sector, Arecibo District Sen. Brenda Pérez Soto has filed Senate Resolution (SR) 413 with the purpose of investigating the management of Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) operations in the island’s northern region.

The Los Muertos sector is one of the many neighborhoods on the island facing constant interruptions in drinking water service. In December, residents marked a full year without service, despite numerous efforts by Pérez Soto to address the situation. The senator has held numerous meetings with residents and has personally brought supervisors and directors from the PRASA northern region to the community; however, to date the problem has not been definitively resolved, she said.

According to reports, water service in the area is intermittent, with more days without water than with service restored. All the same, billing from PRASA continues as if service were continuous. During the year the area was without potable water, residents received bills ranging from $125 to $200 per month, a situation raised in many meetings with PRASA representatives, who promised to address the issue but failed to produce any concrete results, Pérez Soto noted.

SR 413 orders the Planning, Permits, Infrastructure and Urbanism Commission to evaluate and investigate the situation, in order to identify responsibilities and real solutions to a problem that directly affects residents’ quality of life.

“This situation in the Arrozal neighborhood, Los Muertos sector, is completely unacceptable,” the senator said. “Everyone knows what’s happening, including staff at the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, but I still don’t understand why concrete action isn’t being taken with the information they already have. On many occasions, during my follow-up calls, I’ve been able to confirm that the attention given to this problem is inconsistent. When they do intervene, the water comes on for a day or two and then it stops again.”

Pérez Soto also emphasized that Arrozal is a community with a vulnerable population.

“We are talking about senior citizens, bedridden people, and families who cannot depend on water only arriving when regional media outlets cover the situation and a few tanker trucks show up,” she said. “This cannot continue to be the norm.”