Up to 20 hours without drinking water: the daily reality for many Nicaraguan families

Many families in Nicaragua's capital, Managua, endure a daily reality of severe water shortages, with outages frequently lasting up to 20 hours. Residents describe a challenging routine of waking before dawn to complete essential tasks like bathing and laundry before the water supply is cut off for most of the day.

"We have to get up early to wash, bathe, and do all the chores, because the rest of the day we go without water," described Mercedes, a resident of the Waspán Norte neighborhood. She explained that service typically arrives between 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM, only to be shut off again for many hours. "We make the sacrifice, getting up in the dark to do all the household chores," she added, noting that water is often restored between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

Adriana, a neighbor from Las Américas 3, echoed these frustrations, stating, "They don't give notice, and almost always at one in the afternoon they turn it off and it returns at seven in the evening... If there were a notice saying we'll have no water for X hours, one would wait, but it's always sudden."

Antonio, from the 19 de Julio neighborhood, reported serious water supply problems for the past three to four months. "Before, the water didn't go out; there was good flow all day, but now it goes out from seven in the morning and doesn't return until four or five in the afternoon," he said. He also noted that the water sometimes arrives with a bad taste and odor, forcing residents to collect water in buckets and containers for cooking and other needs.

The issue extends beyond Managua. In Jinotepe, Carazo, residents say the problem has persisted for decades, with only about three hours of supply daily, typically from 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM. José, a resident for 17 years, stated, "We get up daily to collect water in plastic buckets. Those three hours are to supply ourselves for the whole day." Despite public complaints, there has been no response regarding maintenance for the wells. Social media users from various cities, including Matagalpa, Estelí, Puerto Cabezas, Bluefields, and Ocotal, share similar grievances about daily struggles to access basic water needs.

While families denounce these hardships, the executive president of the Nicaraguan Water and Sewer Company (Enacal), Ervin Barreda, has acknowledged the problems in multiple media interviews. In February 2026, he admitted to issues, though the article cuts off before detailing the extent of his statements.