José María Morelos, Q.R. — Residents of José María Morelos spent more than a day without water after machinery burst a line and the first repair failed. The Mayan town was left dry Friday and part of Saturday due to the rupture of a main pipe.
Luis Daniel Heredia Duarte, Manager of the JMM Drinking Water and Sewer Commission (CAPA) said machinery working on a renovation project of the supply lines broke a 12-inch asbestos pipe which resulted in the suspension of water.
Due to the lack of suitable material for this type of repair, CAPA tried to contain the leak with cement, but, he said, that method was ineffective so they had to look for other solutions.
“The machine that is working broke it and it is not easy to repair it. Cement was put on it, but it took more than 12 hours to dry and it did not hold up,” he explained.
This was the second water break during the same project. The first break was successfully repaired with 12 hours. This latest break was the main water line that services the town and since it is without section valves, the entire water supply was cut.
On Friday, Heredia Duarte said they worked to find a way to expedite the repair, but required a hard to come-by piece. On Saturday morning, CAPA announced pumping tests were being done on the repaired area. Their second attempt at a repair held and water service was restored throughout the day.
