From The Star Team
The mayors of San Juan, Salinas, Guaynabo, and Cataño, namely Miguel Romero Lugo, Karilyn Bonilla Colón, Edward O’Neill Rosa, and Julio Alicea Vasallo, voiced their concerns over the weekend regarding the abrupt cancellation of flood mitigation water pumping contracts by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, done without prior notification to them.
“It is intolerable and indefensible that the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources has terminated the contract for pumping operations during hurricane season, jeopardizing the safety and property of our residents,” stated Romero Lugo in a written communication. “We have engaged in good faith, yet communication has been one-sided. We demand immediate intervention. We can’t afford to delay any longer.”
Bonilla Colón criticized the agency’s approach for lacking a thorough communication strategy.
“It is concerning that yesterday [Friday] they canceled that contract without first providing an action plan for the public and the mayors to collaborate,” she remarked. “The municipalities have consistently been ready to assist. In the case of the pumps at Guapo in Playita, Parque en la Playa, and Las 80, they have been renting pumps since several DNER pumps are inoperative and others lack the required capacity during significant flooding. If they cancel the contract without an alternate plan, the communities will remain at risk.”
Meanwhile, O’Neill Rosa stated that “some streets and homes in Amelia experienced flooding again today due to the rainfall. The termination of the maintenance contract for the pumps by the Natural Resources department jeopardizes the drainage system.”
“The cancellation was enacted without an alternative plan to ensure residents’ well-being and without prior notice to the municipality,” the Guaynabo mayor asserted. “We insist that Natural Resources manage and operate the two pumping stations immediately. This is unacceptable; we need a resolution now.”
Alicea Vasallo pointed out that “it is peculiar that we found out about the cancellation from external sources and not through an official announcement from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.”
“Today, following the public reveal of the decision, the interim secretary reached out to this public representative,” he noted. “Our communities will not stand for this oversight or absence of communication from the DNER regarding an essential service.”
