The La Villa River basin crisis in Panama's Herrera and Los Santos provinces highlights critical gaps in water infrastructure that humanitarian organizations worldwide face. With 23 contamination points identified from industrial waste, pig farms, and inadequate landfill management, over 106,000 people now depend on emergency water supplies while four treatment plants remain suspended.
The response demonstrates both the scale of intervention needed and the coordination required between government agencies, the Red Cross, and local communities. From installing 21 elevated storage tanks to delivering nearly 2 million liters of emergency water, this crisis underscores why investing in resilient WASH infrastructure and proper waste management systems is necessary.
