Fifteen days before Carnival, more severe failures than in previous years were already being recorded, with prolonged nighttime outages that anticipated what is today an open crisis. The contrast is stark: crowded streets, full businesses, and at the same time, residents and visitors juggling to bathe, clean, or simply cook. Among the hardest-hit communities, Santa Catalina, Calle Arriba, El Naranjal, and part of the district's central area were mentioned. But the alarm, it is assured, did not start with the first tamborito beat. The district, one of the tourist epicenters of Azuero during Carnival, is facing a severe drinking water crisis just as the local economy tries to make its August in February. The avalanche of visitors skyrocketed demand and exposed a fragile, insufficient water network, which, according to local authorities, has no contingency plan. While the carnival continues, in many homes the faucet barely drips. Mayor Miguel F. Batista held nothing back and pointed directly at the National Aqueducts and Sewers Institute (IDAAN). 'Excuses, excuses, excuses... the position was too big for the director. Azuero without water, Pedasí, the main tourist destination, without water, without a plan for these dates and damaged cisterns. Since he took office, we have made the situation known to him. According to the mayor, some sectors have gone more than five days without a drop. At the height of the festivities, Pedasí is celebrating, but thirsty. The publication 'Carnival with thirst: Pedasí explodes without water and mayor attacks IDAAN' was first published in La Verdad Panamá. 'Do something,' he wrote on his X account. The complaint is no minor issue.
