In three of the five urban parishes of the Maturín municipality, they report failures in the water supply that exceed 30 days of waiting, for which reason citizens have been forced to move to neighboring communities to be able to fill containers or pay for the dollarized service. cistern for their homes
Author: Carla Carrasquero
Inhabitants of different areas of Maturín, capital of the Monagas state, are affected by the lack of piped water supply, due to failures in the Bajo Guarapiche Treatment Plant, which supplies the entire central area of the city and areas surrounding. The most affected communities have seen the need to hire private tanker trucks to supply them with water at dollarized prices to supply their homes.
On February 28, during the broadcast of program number 21 of “Conectados con Ernesto”, Governor Ernesto Luna pointed out that “great efforts have been made, but our commitment is to minimize the distribution of water with tanker trucks. Our people deserve to have continuous water in their homes”.
Two months later, inhabitants of the La Murallita sector point out that since April 12 they have not had the supply and that -as on other occasions- they have remained without service for more than 30 days. Betzy Rondón, a resident of San Joaquín street, comments that she has a 2,000-liter water tank in her home that allows her to supply herself for five days when the service fails. She, however, adds that “each filling through private cisterns is equivalent to the payment of 15 dollars.”
Those who do not have this option turn to the neighbors to fill some containers for daily consumption, and most have seen the need to carry water at the Maturín Interurban Terminal facilities, located on Libertador Avenue, 1, 3 kilometers from the main street of the La Murallita sector.
In the same way, inhabitants of more central areas resort to filling containers that occur in the La Guaricha Zoological Park, attended by workers from the Municipal Institute of Parks, Gardens and Tourism (Impart), where prices range from Bs 2 for 18-liter bottles , Bs 60 for trucks with a capacity of 5,000 liters and Bs 125 for those with a capacity of 10,000 liters, which is equivalent, according to the BCV rate, to paying a cost between 1 and 5 dollars to be able to supply water.
Manuel Fernández, owner of one of the delivery trucks, said that he works “privately every day, as long as it is a paid service,” and frequently visits the areas of Juanico and Campo Ayacucho, where he charges an amount of 15 dollars.
Víctor Colón, a resident of Chimborazo street in the central area of the city, stated that he does not remember exactly since when there have been failures in the water service in this sector, but he assures that “it has been present for several years.” Compared to other urban areas of the city, they receive piped supply only twice a week.
Colón added that the distribution of water through cisterns is “quite intermittent. There are seasons in which they happen very frequently and others in which they disappear”. In his house they have two 1,000-liter water tanks to provide themselves in case of failures, “the cost of filling is 5 dollars each and in some cases they demand it in cash.”
Wells as palliative
In the Alto de Los Godos parish, located to the southwest of Maturín, residents declare that the situation has improved since the reactivation of deep wells by the state government and highlight that the service is better for those who installed water pumps in their homes, so they have dispensed with the cistern service.
For their part, residents of the Los Guaritos V sector denounce that they have not had the service for several months and despite the protests and calls they have not received a response from the hydrological company. Monagas waterswhich they denounce “only serves to collect a service that they do not provide.”
“The cisterns have to be bought for 15 dollars in cash among several people and those who cannot pay the exchange rate in bolivars,” explained Francys Hernández, one of the residents of the area. She explained that to get supplies you must go to La Guaricha Park to fill bottles or pay for the trucks.
The communities of Monagu reiterate the call to the competent entities to attend to a failure that has become permanent and the amount imposed by the drinking water transport service providers is unaffordable for many people, for which reason they demand the constant maintenance of the treatment plants. treatment and filling that guarantees the supply of water.
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