Citizens don’t buy Aqueduct chief’s excuses on Santo Domingo’s water shortage

SANTO DOMING.- The latest prolonged interruption of the Dominican capital’s water supply has enraged Santo Domingo residents to the point they question Aqueduct (CAASD) lack of explanations for the shortage now into its 2nd week.

Many also question why the tanker trucks which sell water are seen everywhere doing business, while the water pipes which supply homes and businesses haven’t had a normal volume during the last 12 days.

On Monday there reports of water shortages as long as several months from residents of Buena Vista, in Villa Mella, where they also complain of having to buy up to four truckloads of water per month, spending up to RD$4,000 per home. "The worst part is that we have to pay the service religiously without receiving because CAASD crews are always ready to the water service whether they send it or not," said Danilsa Ureña.

Meanwhile a CAASD engineer identified only as Saldivar said the supply fails not from lack of water but on technical problems, which he affirms are often caused by thieves who steal the equipment from the aqueduct grid.

While Breidys Terrero says every time she’s gone to the CAASD offices, “they always say something different so we no longer believe in their excuses.”