Waiting for water: It's everywhere in this Colombian city — except in the pipes

In La Paz, a low-income neighborhood on the outskirts of Santa Marta, Colombia, water service from the local utility can be erratic or nonexistent. Pictured: Neighborhood kids stand next to a rain barrel positioned under a corrugated roof. (Ben de la Cruz/NPR)

SANTA MARTA, Colombia — For as long as she can remember, July Paola Merino has been waiting for water.

Pointing to a tangle of 1-inch white plastic pipes poking through the weeds and trash beside the dirt road just down the hill from her home, the 36-year-old mom says that this is where the water would flow from the local utility. But there hasn't been a drop for 28 days and counting.