Water crisis needs radical changes in Idaan

Panama’s Chamber of Commerce (Cciap) has joined the  Canal Authority (ACP) in voicing concerns about the future of the country’s water supply and has called for a radical transformation of the Institute of Aqueducts and Sewerage Systems (Idaan ).

In a  Sunday, July 14  statement:  “Water As a National Concern,” the Chamber says  a clear symptom  is the cyclical need for the Canal  to adjust the navigation depth to its water capacity, “adjustment  … as a consequence of climate change and which is confirmed in the last six months- as the lowest volume of rainfall in the Canal basin “, according to rainfall  records in the last 100 years

The Cciap says that for decades the need to ensure water reservoirs has been recognized, both “for the operational sustainability of our main asset and to provide it in a safe way to all Panamanians”, an indispensable condition to ensure quality of life, in terms of delivery and geographical coverage.

“It is to be hoped that we have matured enough to understand that we cannot delay more to see materialized viable solutions and practices that, in addition, fully guarantee the rights of the communities to be involved,” the organization adds.

It emphasizes that the irresponsible waste of the liquid and the “high delinquency” on the part of users, together with the administrative inefficiency of the Idaan, demand a managerial execution differentiated by the quality in the rendering of the services and the profitability of the entity.

“You cannot continue experimenting with an entity completely out of step with the dynamics of the country and the one imposed by the demands of our development,” said the Chamber.