Vega Alta Mayor María M. Vega Pagán on Wednesday denounced what she called apparent negligence, apathy and indifference by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) over a drinking water outage in the Mavilla sector of Vega Alta. Eight days in, families there remain without water, and the AAA has offered no solution, clear explanation or action plan, she said.
"This is abuse!" the mayor said. She called the lack of empathy and the slow response to repeated complaints from the town and residents unacceptable, saying the AAA has not precisely identified the fault or set a timeline for restoring service after more than a week of constant demands. Vega Pagán stressed that Mavilla is home to a highly vulnerable population, mostly older adults, including bedridden people and patients with chronic health conditions.
She said many cannot carry water in buckets or containers, and called leaving them without direct access to potable water a direct threat to their health, safety and physical integrity. The town government has used its own resources and emergency operations to deliver water by tanker truck, but the mayor said these are temporary stopgaps that do not replace the AAA’s legal, operational and moral responsibility.
She called on AAA leadership to immediately mobilize technical staff and specialized equipment to fix the breakdown. The town says it will stay vigilant alongside the community until service is permanently restored.