Costa Rica faces drinking water crisis

The people of Costa Rica have been facing a dire situation with regard to the supply of drinking water. Despite dialogue and protests, the Aquaculture and Sewerage Authority (AyA) has been unable to resolve the problem.

The Ombudsman’s Office points to several reasons for the problem, including territorial disarray, lack of protection of water recharge areas, inadequate planning, poor project implementation and poor coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and local authorities. Climate phenomena, especially hotter and drier summers, have also had an impact. However, this is not the only culprit.

The reality is that the country has been facing Serious supply issues For a long time, it has not been able to meet the demand for this service nationwide. The communities of Hatillo, Mata Redonda, Coronado, Desamparados and Alajuelita are the worst affected areas in the metropolitan area.

The regions complain about ongoing rationing, which often comes without prior notice and lasts longer than expected. The Ombudsman’s Office believes that AyA’s efforts are not enough. The agency has implemented some emergency actions, such as rationing programs, providing tanker trucks, integrating new wells into the city’s water pipeline system, and installing water tanks in highly vulnerable areas. However, these measures fail to address the underlying problems.

The Ombudsman’s Office said AyA must effectively plan and execute medium- and long-term infrastructure projects to improve the water supply and hydraulic capacity of the aqueduct system.

Public Service Regulatory Authority (Arecep) showed that the agency had 57% drinking water loss, incomplete project implementation, taking 10 to 15 years, and 80% of meters recorded insufficient water usage.

The report also revealed that all service providers across the country failed to comply with water quality verification regulations and the National Water Quality Laboratory did not have a strategy to update water quality information every year.

The Ombudsman’s office stressed that they had called AyA’s attention many years ago for its lack of foresight and measures to meet the water supply needs of the population. They also said they would prepare a report for each community affected by the water supply problem.