Public swimming pool water for Carnival partying

WATER  is being extracted from Panama’s  “Eileen Coparropa” Olympic swimming pool to supply the Culecos (water sprayed from tanks) for revelers celebrating Carnival  on  the Cinta Costera.

Although the Ministry of Environment enabled three rivers in the province of Panama to obtain water for culecos, the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) decided to take water from the Eileen Coparropa, reports La Prensa.

Gustavo Him, director of the ATP said that both the Ministry of Environment and  the Panamanian Institute of Sports (Pandeportes) endorsed the use of water from the Olympic pool  for “the mojaderas” on the coastal strip during the festival. Four tanks with a capacity of between 3,500 and 5000 gallons are being filled  each visit

The decision conflicts with Executive Decree No. 436 of 2010 which provides that in the dry season unwise use of water will be audited, and establishes fines of up to $ 5,000 for violators says La Prensa.

Carlos Castillo, president of the Panamanian Swimming Federation, said the move is “worrying”, especially in times of drought, given that the  750,000 gallons of water needed  to refill  the pool will come from the state water sewers. Julia Guardia, director of Idaan, but declined to comment reports La Prensa.

This means that activities such as car washes, spraying , sidewalks, streets and filling  swimming pools are considered a waste of the resource, which can result in fines from $5,000 up to  $50,000

Two people in  Chiriqui province were fined $ 2,000 each, when  they were caught drawing unauthorized water.