Desperate Residents of Colinas del Tunal Protest Neglect and Water Shortage

For 15 years, residents of the Colinas del Tunal neighborhood in Cucuta, Colombia, have endured a lack of basic services, including access roads, sanitation, street lighting, water, and security. Despite repeated promises from local authorities, their pleas for help have been ignored, leading to a growing sense of frustration. The recent water shortage, lasting over 25 days, has pushed residents to their breaking point. They have resorted to closing the El Salado roundabout intermittently to demand action. The community, composed of vulnerable individuals including displaced persons, the elderly, people with disabilities, and Venezuelan migrants, have organized and built water systems and sanitation facilities themselves due to the lack of support. The residents have highlighted the disparity between the lack of services they experience and the resources spent on local events, demanding immediate solutions to their ongoing crisis. Following a half-day of protests, the Cucuta mayor’s office responded by inviting community leaders to a meeting to discuss potential solutions. In response, residents agreed to lift their roadblock while pressing for timely and effective measures to address their concerns.