In Panama, growth in water consumption is putting pressure on reservoirs and forcing the design of new alternatives for improving infrastructure, starting with the creation of new reservoirs.

Data from the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) indicates that 350 million gallons of water are currently being consumed per day, an amount that it was thought would not be reached until 2025.

Growing demand for power generation, human consumption and activities such as agriculture, have led the authorities to build new water treatment plants, some of which are still projects in the bidding stage. But in addition to the plants, new reservoirs need to be built and improvements made to the management of this resource in order to avoid waste. For this reason, the ACP is carrying out feasibility studies for reservoirs in strategic watersheds in Panama, Azuero and Veraguas.

See: “$239 million Investment in Public Works“

Prensa.com reports that at the moment  “… most of the water in the 52 basins and more than 500 rivers in the country is lost without being used.”

“… The greatest demand for water is concentrated in the Pacific slope, where 83% of the population lives and where more than 70% of economic activities are concentrated, including the metropolitan region (districts of Panama, San Miguelito, La Chorrera, Arraiján and Capira ), where 55% of the country’s total population lives and where most of the industries and services are located.“