Water woes spark protests in Colombia town

The mayor of a Colombian town that has been without water for 22 months declared a curfew following protests and arrests this week. Demonstrations in Yopal turned violent Sunday and Monday, Colombia Reports said. On Sunday, 22 people, 11 of them children, were arrested following a clash that left two police officers injured. The following day, protesters threw rocks at government offices. Their targets included the mayor's office, the regional inspector general and the water company. Townspeople also have attempted to block major roads by setting up barricades. The town of 140,000 lost municipal water in May 2011 when a landslide destroyed the treatment plant. Yopal Mayor Willman Enrique Celemin blames the national government for failing to provide financial aid. National Housing Minister German Vargas Lleras said the local and regional governments have done nothing to solve the problem, including submitting plans for new water projects that could be used to determine how much aid is needed. "The departmental and municipal governments manage resources of some $930 million to invest in water, and in three years they have not made a single investment in this regard," Vargas said. The 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew will remain in place for several days, the mayor's office said. The national government said it had dispatched tanker trucks carrying water to the town.