By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

President Carlos Alvarado signed the approval of a $55 million loan with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration on Friday. The load will finance a program to address pipe lines, sewage and flooding issues for the province of Limón*.

The programs will cover a “sanitation of residual waters” project under the control of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Pipelines one of floodwater control to be under the control of the National Service of Underground Waters. In addition to the loans, these two organizations will contribute $1.6 million to the projects.

"This investment will turn Limón into the city with the largest sanitary pipeline coverage in Costa Rica, it will control floods and it will improve at a landscape level some of its most impoverished towns," said the president. According to the government, the pipelines, sewage and flood control will benefit more than 43,800 people, improve public health and improve tourist activity in the area.

Ottón Solís, former deputy of the PAC government party (from 2014 to 2018), and current representative of the bank, said "the zones of influence of this program are cataloged on maps as regions in extreme poverty, so this loan contributes with the balanced economic development of areas of the country that urge for special attention. This type of intervention occupies a high priority within the strategy of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration to improve the quality of life of the Central American region.”

Recently, Government announces investment of $450,000 plus to build water storage tank in Tarcoles, as A.M. Costa Rica reported on May 17th.

The government, through the Institute of Rural Development, announced the start of construction of a water storage tank in the town of Tarcoles* in Puntarenas, at the cost about $451,384.

To cover the cost of the water storage tank and the respective pipelines, the Institute invested about $406,500. The local ASADA invested about $31,334 for the purchase of land and labor for the installation of the pipeline and the Municipality of Garabito invested about $13,550 for the purchase of pipes.

The Institute reports that the metal tank for drinking water storage will ensure that there is no shortage of drinking water throughout the year. The tank has a storage capacity of 153 m3 that covers water consumption for more than 500 homes.

"The construction of this tank as a response to the of need of this community, since in some sectors the availability of water is insufficient, a situation that is aggravated by the effects of the El Niño Phenomenon," said the Institute in its statement.

Another water storage tank recently built was near the town of Los Chiles* near the border with Nicaragua.

According to the Institute, that water storage tank will provide drinking water to the towns of Pavón, San Francisco and Montealegre.

"Since the passage of Hurricane Otto in 2016, residents have been affected with an irregular drinking water service, and they have been out of vital liquid for many hours," said the Institute in its statement.

The new pipelines and a water storage tank with a capacity of 250 thousand liters of water were built in the town of San Francisco in Los Chiles.

The cost of the project was about $470,722 and was financed by the Institute's own funds. The construction of the pipeline and storage tank was made with the collaboration of the Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers.

According to the Institute, the new pipeline system will provide drinking water to 350 families.
 



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Have you heard of any other community with problems of pipelines and scarcity of drinking water? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com