Colombia's Patía region faces month-long water outage, threatens Pan-American highway

More than 6,000 residents in 20 villages of Patía municipality and nearby corregimientos in Balboa and Mercaderes have been without potable water for over a month. Community leaders say the shortage hampers drinking, cooking, hygiene and threatens the right to water. They warned they could block the Pan‑American Highway if authorities fail to act.

A technical table has been called, bringing together the Cauca Governor's Office, Emcaservicios, the Cauca Regional Autonomous Corporation (CRC), the Ombudsman's Office, the Attorney General and municipal authorities. Emcaservicios manager Jorge Alberto Macías Rosero is expected to present concrete remediation schedules. Communities stress that the goal is to secure commitments and timelines, not to disrupt regional transport, though they note the highway’s importance for cargo movement across southwestern Colombia.