Hundreds of people protested Monday morning in Santurce over failures in service by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA). The demonstration, organized by the coalition "Exigimos Agua," was called for 9:00 AM at Calle Jupiter and Avenida Baldorioty de Castro. Although rationing for customers supplied by the Carraízo reservoir was temporarily suspended, protesters said multiple sectors, including upper Santurce, have gone weeks and in some cases months with interrupted or no potable water.
When a people unite, their voice is heard. And when it comes to a basic right like water, we will not keep quiet.
Protesters chanted, "We’re not backing down... we won’t stay silent." Beyond current operational deficiencies, the coalition criticized AAA’s administrative management, demanding leadership changes including the removal of executive president Luis González Delgado. They also demanded a citizen representative on the AAA Governing Board, opening of the Superaqueduct to maximize water availability, immediate attention to leaks and waste reduction, repair of aging infrastructure, compliance with the Climate Change Plan to address the water crisis, and a halt on new construction permits in areas where water infrastructure lacks capacity until resource availability is properly evaluated.