Water Cuts, Power Outages and Gas: What Happens in a Medellín Flat

Most days, the lights, water and gas in a Medellín apartment simply work. Occasionally they do not. A repair crew shuts off a street, a storm trips the power, or the building's own pump fails, and suddenly you are without water or light for a few hours. This year there is an extra factor: EPM has been running scheduled water cuts in parts of the city because of El Niño. Knowing who is responsible, where to look for information and what to keep at home turns these moments into a small inconvenience.

Our utilities and estrato guide covers billing. This guide covers interruptions.

Two Kinds of Interruption

Scheduled interruptions come from maintenance and network upgrades. EPM, which provides electricity, water, sewer and gas in the metropolitan area, has a "Consulta de interrupciones" section on epm.com.co where you search by barrio or municipality for water, energy or gas. In a November 2025 round of water works, most cuts were listed at about six hours overnight, and a couple lasted a day or longer, so read the hours before you plan around them.

Unscheduled interruptions come from damage and cannot be announced in advance: storm damage, an accident, a failed transformer or a burst pipe. EPM's page says to call 604 44 44 115 for these or check its Twitter/X account, EPMestamosahi.

EPM's own channels, as listed on its site:

• Damage reports (toll-free): 01 8000 415 115, or the online "Reporte de daños" form.
• Other requests: (604) 444 41 15.
• WhatsApp assistant Ema: +57 302 300 0115. In November 2025 EPM announced personalized alerts by WhatsApp, text and automated calls for scheduled cuts, tied to the contact details registered on the account.

That last point matters for renters. If the account is in the owner's name, ask them to add your number or to forward notices.

Water Cuts in 2026

EPM began scheduled night-time cuts on August 31, 2026 in ten circuits of north-east and centre-east Medellín (comunas 1, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 10 in press reports), supplied mainly by the Piedras Blancas system, citing low flows from El Niño. As of October 11 the cuts were reported as continuing every other day, about 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., with the reservoir down from 92.44% (September 13) to 68.79% (October 10). EPM asked households to keep saving and to prepare for December and the first quarter of 2027, and to store only the water needed for basic use. Press reports gave savings targets of 92 liters per household per day in the north-east and centre-east and 70 liters elsewhere. EPM said it would send water tankers to affected areas.

Whether a building is affected depends on its exact address, so check with EPM rather than guessing from the neighborhood name. Conditions can change within days.

Who Is Responsible for What

Colombia's urban housing lease law (Ley 820 de 2003) says the contract must state which party pays the building's utilities (Article 3). It also lets a tenant end the contract if the landlord's deliberate action, or unpaid charges the landlord owes, causes a utility suspension; the tenant may instead pay to restore the service and deduct the cost from rent (Article 24). Ask at move-in who to call and save the numbers.

Why Buildings Lose Water

In many apartment buildings, water arrives from the public network into a storage tank and is then pumped to the apartments. Two things can fail: the public supply, and the building's own pump or tank system. A power cut can also stop the pump, so a power outage may become a water outage even when the public supply is fine. Ask before you sign:

• Does the building have a storage tank, and for how long does it typically last?
• Does it have a backup generator (planta eléctrica), and what does it power? Common areas, elevators and pumps are different things.
• How are scheduled interruptions announced: the portería, the administración or a group chat?
• How often have there been outages in the last year, and how did it cope with the 2026 cuts?

Preparing for Each Service

Power outages

• Keep a charged power bank, a flashlight or headlamp, and your phone's hotspot as a fallback: router and fiber equipment usually need power, so Wi-Fi goes down with the electricity.
• If you work remotely, our coworking versus apartment guide helps you plan a backup workspace.
• Use a surge protector or unplug sensitive electronics during storms.

Water cuts

• Keep a few liters of drinking water at home and a container for flushing. When a cut is announced, fill containers the night before, shower and run laundry first. EPM asks for clean, covered containers and no excessive stockpiling.
• Water heaters need water to work. Turn off an electric shower head when the supply stops so it does not run dry. See our hot water guide.

Gas

Most apartments use piped natural gas for the stove and often for the water heater; some use cylinders. If gas stops, check whether it affects the whole building or only your unit. Never repair gas fittings yourself. EPM's gas page links a tool to check when a home's periodic gas inspection expires, so ask the owner when the last one was done. If your stove ignites electrically, a power cut may disable it; keep a lighter or matches out of reach of children.

Set Yourself Up on Day One

Ask the owner or the portero to show you the main water shutoff valve, the gas shutoff valve for the stove and heater, the breaker box and which switch controls what, and where the meters are (take photos of the readings). Save the numbers for the landlord, the administración and the portería offline, and ask to be added to the resident group chat.

When an Outage Drags On

Most interruptions are over within hours. If one lasts longer, ask the administración for an estimated time and the cause, keep the fridge door closed, and relocate to a cafe or coworking space if you depend on power for work. If the problem is inside your unit and the owner is slow, document it with dates and photos and follow up in writing. The lease guide explains why repair responsibilities should be spelled out in your contract.

The Bottom Line

Expect the occasional interruption, learn which layer owns the problem, save EPM's channels, ask about tanks and generators before you rent, and keep a basic kit at home. Add these questions to your viewing list and your move-in checklist.