"We Inherited A City Built Without Planning" - Mayor Mendez
Projects - So, Mendez said office of the Mayor of Panama has had to "hard work and in coordination with the authorities." She said the Institute of Aqueducts and Sewage Systems has been working on the pipe near Parque Urraca since last week. But now it turns out the damage was greater than anticipated, she said. However, the mayor said IDAAN crews will continue working on Wednesday in the park. "They have to see how to make corrections," said the official. (Prensa)
Editor's Comment: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how the massive expansion of new high rise apartment buildings, as well as the construction of new hotels and commercial spaces would overburden every type of city infrastructure system - water, sewer, roads, communications, electrical, etc. And no, there was no overall urban development plan. Under the administration of Martin Torrijos as the president, Balbina Herrera as the Minister of Housing, and Juan Carlos Navarro as the Mayor of Panama City (all PRD politicians) they changed zoning on the fly and issued construction permits pretty much at will, with no thought, consideration, or concern over the possibility of overtaxing the city's fundamental underlying infrastructure systems. So, it should be a surprise to no one that some of these are now starting to collapse under the strain, and the administration of Ricardo Martinelli and Roxana Mendez (both CD) are left to clean up the mess. And who's giving them shit in the press because there's shit in the park? The PRD. Ironic, eh?
