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Published Monday, March 8, 2021
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
On Friday, the Water Institute, AyA, inaugurated a new pipeline in San Ramón Canton, in Alajuela Province, valued at $944,231.
According to the institute, with the improvements, the towns of Los Criques, Valle Azul, Pueblo Nuevo and El Progreso will not have a shortage of drinking water for at least the next 20 years.
The pipeline project was financed with budgets by the institute and other public organizations such as the Rural Development Institute, the Los Criques-Valle Azul drinking water service association and the National Consortium of Electrification Companies.
The upgrades were completed in three stages. Step 1 was to change the old pipelines. Step 2 was to replace the pipelines, and lastly to build an additional storage tank with the capacity to maintain 500 cubic meters of the vital liquid.
As the country transitions into the summer months or dry season the institute announced how they will start suspending the drinking water service in March.
Beginning this month, during one of the driest months of the summer, drinking water services will be suspended to approximately 78,000 people.
In San José Province, customers will begin experiencing water cuts beginning in the cantons of Desamparados, Mata Redonda, Alajuelita, Hatillo, Patarrá, San Miguel, Moravia, Santa Ana, Salitral among others. The suspension of drinking water service is expected to last between 8 to 10 hours.
For the rest of the 1.3 million clients in Costa Rica, they will not experience drinking water service suspension during March.
According to Alexander Solís, president of the National Emergency Commission, the government is planning to protect agriculture and livestock during the summer months, from March to June, due to the lack of rainfall.
According to the institute, if each family reduced their consumption to 275 liters per day, there would be enough water to supply to all the AyA clients without any interruptions.
Daily updated notices of the places and dates in which the drinking water service will be suspended can be found on the Institute's Facebook page.
In Costa Rica, the AyA is in charge of the administration and direct operation of the pipes and sewer systems mainly in urban areas. The municipalities provide drinking water to 16% of the population. The rest of the country receives their drinking water service from the Community Associations, so-called Asadas.
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What have you heard of expats facing problems accessing drinking water in Costa Rica? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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