Daily Water Outages in Boquete, Personal Hygiene, and Disease?

[Siempre Soluciones]

With the ongoing daily water outages in Boquete which seems to be occurring for months now, has the health department taken measures to prevent widespread disease?  Is this reported at all?

Seriously, I as well as several friends do all our grocery shopping and dining in David where they have running water.  I couldn't imagine the day in and day out of Boquete employees not bathing nor maintaining proper daily personal hygiene due to lack of running water both in the home and work place that disease wouldn't become epidemic.  There's the incident of one restaurant informing patrons not to flush toilets due to lack of water. 

Sadly Boquete is only one year into its five year water/sewer project so this appears to be an long term problem.

[JudyS]

1 hour ago, Siempre Soluciones said:

There's the incident of one restaurant informing patrons not to flush toilets due to lack of water. 

You have a good point.  If there is no water to flush the toilets, the restaurant employees also can't wash their hands.  That is disgusting.

[Keith Woolford]

MINSA, the Ministry of Health, is located next door to Romero. Questions or complaints can be directed to the local Inspector there.

[Bonnie]

Folks. It would not be possible to install a whole new water system without occasional interruption of services. I've been critical of many aspects of this project, but this part of the equation I understand. You may want to stay out of restaurants during these periods.

[Keith Woolford]

Most water service interruptions are required to repair the antiquated distribution system, and have nothing to do with the new project.

They are certainly not "ongoing on a daily basis", as was suggested.

The project began in 2015.

 

 

Edited September 15, 2017 by Keith Woolford

[Siempre Soluciones]

7 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Most water service interruptions are required to repair the antiquated distribution system, and have nothing to do with the new project.

They are certainly not "ongoing on a daily basis", as was suggested.

The project began in 2015.

Keith,

I don't know where you reside but I reside in Bajo.  A week ago we had four consecutive days of water outages during the day some lasting until the late evening hours.  Only two days so far this week. 

When they tore up our streets we had daily water outages from Monday through Saturday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM for 5.5 weeks and then for another period of 3.5 weeks.  They would usually re-connect the water supply at the end of each day but not always thus resulting in outages of two days at times.

[TwoSailors]

7 hours ago, Siempre Soluciones said:

Keith,

I don't know where you reside but I reside in Bajo.  A week ago we had four consecutive days of water outages during the day some lasting until the late evening hours.  Only two days so far this week. 

When they tore up our streets we had daily water outages from Monday through Saturday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM for 5.5 weeks and then for another period of 3.5 weeks.  They would usually re-connect the water supply at the end of each day but not always thus resulting in outages of two days at times.

Siempre,

Take a look at this site:

https://water.org/our-impact/water-crisis/

Now count yourself very fortunate that you have easy access to clean water.

[Keith Woolford]

Not sure what restaurant you were in that had a notice saying not to flush the toilet. I have occasionally seen signs asking patrons not to flush any paper products down toilets, and others saying that they're out of use due to 'water off'.

All that being said, I don't want to eat in any establishment either, which doesn't have clean water for food preparation and the washing of hands. If they don't have reserves to use, they should close, imo.

In Alto Boquete we generally have 12 hour water service beginning at 7:00 p.m.  I don't know anyone who doesn't have at least one reserve tank.

Edited September 15, 2017 by Keith Woolford

[Bonnie]

It's pretty easy to just avoid restaurants that don't have water, but I was at the polyclinica about two months ago and found that none of the toilets were working. When I asked, I was told that there was no water. It's pretty hard for me to believe that a medical facility wouldn't have a backup water system. Talk about sanitation issues.

[Brundageba]

Just FYI.   I went to the new Vietnamese restaurant in David and they apologized that their bathroom was not in service because water service to some establishments in David was cut off.  They had water for tables and I assume water from a tank for their kitchen.  Soooo...here's a water problems as well in another location that had nothing to do with the new water plant construction in Boquete.  These things happen everywhere in the country at one time or another. 

Alison

[Palo Alto Jo]

I would hope that clinics use chemical cleaners when water is unavailable.  Besides having reserve water tanks, I'd hope they have hand sanitizers at the very least.  I know they have hand sanitizers prominent in the Social Security clinic.  Wish they had them at the grocery stores. I bring my own.  Look how fast conjunctivitis spread, and that is mild compared to typhoid or cholera.  I think the best thing Panama has in its favor is the low level of antibiotic abuse versus the U.S.  If we did get an outbreak, it would probably be from an organism that is treatable.  

An outbreak would spread quickly here.  I'm with others here, avoid any place without water, and hope the establishments use good judgment and shut down when appropriate.  

Edited September 15, 2017 by Palo Alto Jo
Typo

[Bonnie]

4 hours ago, Palo Alto Jo said:

I would hope that clinics use chemical cleaners when water is unavailable.  Besides having reserve water tanks, I'd hope they have hand sanitizers at the very least.  I know they have hand sanitizers prominent in the Social Security clinic.  Wish they had them at the grocery stores. I bring my own.  Look how fast conjunctivitis spread, and that is mild compared to typhoid or cholera.  I think the best thing Panama has in its favor is the low level of antibiotic abuse versus the U.S.  If we did get an outbreak, it would probably be from an organism that is treatable.  

An outbreak would spread quickly here.  I'm with others here, avoid any place without water, and hope the establishments use good judgment and shut down when appropriate.  

The polyclinica does have hand sanitizers. That doesn't help with the toilet situation, though.

I'm not sure about the antibiotics. Every time I walk into a doctor's office they foist them on me. But this probably doesn't happen in the public clinics, I would think.

[Palo Alto Jo]

Bonnie, in a small way, agreed not perfect,  hand santizers do help,  even with non flushing toilets.   It's almost always the hand to mouth path that spreads the germs.  Non flushing toilets in a healthcare facility is indeed a nightmare.  But,  cleaning hands is the key!  

Not only are antibiotics less prevalent here, the local chicken and beef certainly get less antibiotics, which I think is the main source of E. Coli, Salmonella,  Shigella,  and Camphylobacter in the U.S.  

I am always amazed at folks who go to PriceSmart to pick up their packaged frozen/thawed 10 times Pilgrim's Pride American Salmonella packages.  I did a study on poultry in the U.S. once.  99% of poultry in the U.S. contains Salmonella.   Yes, you're supposed to cook it.  But,  the poor cook is the one at risk.  If given the choice, I'd cook the local chicken and meat every time.

[Siempre Soluciones]

 

Ok, today Sunday marks the 5th day without water here in Bajo.  Last week was only two days, the week before none, and the week before that four days of no water.

 

A friend of mine finally closed down his popular restaurant but will reopen when the construction ceases.

 

When will this end?

 

[Bonnie]

We originally were told it would be a three-year project. It's been a little over two years now, I believe, but the contractor is behind on everything. So it's my guess that we have at least another year to go. It's interesting to me that only when the business community started squawking did the government come down on the contractor to get things going. The residents are of little consideration.

[Keith Woolford]

Saw the Municipal crew repairing yet another rupture in the old aqueduct near the exit from the Haven Spa this morning. Nothing to do with the contract this time.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Keith Woolford