Pipe Rupture Cuts Water Service in José María Morelos

José María Morelos, Quintana Roo — A ruptured six-inch water main cut off drinking water to the town of José María Morelos on Friday, marking the second time in two weeks that the same line has broken.

CAPA, the state’s water and sewer utility, suspended service across the entire town while crews repaired the pipe, which carries water from the three pumps that supply the community.

José Rubén Flota Güemez, CAPA’s local manager, said the pipe is very old and continued to crack as workers tried to fix it, so crews replaced a 2.5-meter section.

“The pipe is old, and heavy trucks passing along the street apply pressure and cause it to crack,” Flota Güemez said. “That’s what happened, so we shut down the three pumps to drain the entire line.”

Flota Güemez acknowledged that residents were not given advance notice of the shutdown. He said crews had estimated the repair would be quick, but that did not happen.

By Friday afternoon, two of the three pumps were operating normally again, and the third was expected to be reconnected shortly to fully restore service.