Triple A has convened a committee to combat water theft in the Caribbean region

The company Triple A, which recently became the property of the District of Barranquilla, carried out works in collaboration with the Government of Atlántico, the Regional Coastal Aqueduct and the municipalities of Piojó, Usiacurí, Tubará and Juan de Acosta, to combat against the theft of drinking water In the region.

Thanks to a committee, certain measures have been put in place so that this problem is solved and does not affect the quality of life of other families in the department of Atlántico.

“To give you an idea, with the stolen water we could fill 150 Olympic swimming pools or even serve a population of 100,000 inhabitants on average like the municipality of Sabanalarga”, declared the general manager of the company, Jairo De Castro.

Furthermore, he pointed out that operations have been intensified and the coastal system will be further protected.

Illegal water extraction is a criminal Offence in the Penal Code with fines and even prison sentences, but the prosecutors’ lack of information and means to prosecute him contributes to impunity.

The manager of the water, sewer and cleaning company in Barranquilla mentioned that the illegal returns they generate problems in the system in general, since they cause a decrease in the volume of water, low pressures and leaks, situations that end up harming other citizens and other populations.

The committee, made up of the aforementioned authorities and the company’s management, has determined that this situation has had a significant impact over the years. 90 kilometers conduction and distribution lines of this system.

There Delicias Station (located north of Barranquilla) is one of the most affected as it is one of the main regional aqueducts, it sends more than 750 thousand cubic meters drinking water.

Water that is diverted through illegal connections reaches private properties, including private businesses and farms with a high percentage dedicated to food industrya sector that requires a high consumption of liquids.

“We must denounce the formal and informal properties that drill rods and they steal water from coastal towns, disconnect them, track them and chase them with the help of the authorities,” De Castro claimed.

The company that was part of Barranquilla neighborhoodLuego fue vendida —en su gran mayoría de acciones— a una empresa extranjera y posterior a ello quedó en propiedad de la Sociedad de Activos Especiales (SAE) por judicial problems, finally fue recuperada por la Alcaldía de la capital atlanticense tras la intervención del Ministère audience.

After sanctioning Daniel Rojas and then reinstating him as Director of SAE, the Attorney General’s Office created a task force with the aim of giving a final solution to the sale of the Triple A stock package, which was valued at more than 500,000 million of pesos.

Following the February 16 meeting, the Attorney General’s office ordered the SAE to return the shares of the cleaning, water and sewerage company to the Barranquilla neighborhoodwhich corresponded to 82.16% of the total value of the company.

“As one of the big closing points, the negotiators agreed that the delivery of shares be immediate and that the vast majority of all shares remain in the hands of public entities, which may be EPM,” the attorney general’s office said in an official statement.

This transaction was not carried out solely by order of the Attorney General’s office. To reach this agreement, it was first clarified that the district had already paid a figure close to 300,000 million pesos to acquire these shares, and on the other hand, the municipal administration got engaged find a new public partner.

The latter due to the fact that the shares were held by K-yena SAS, that it is a mixed company, that is, it has a percentage of state shares and others are part of private shareholders.