-Published: Friday, November 8, 2019-
Proposed law would guarantee water for squatters
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Two lawmakers have acted to solidify the status of squatters who invade private property.
The lawmakers have submitted a proposed law that would guarantee such property invaders access to potable water despite the desires of the real owners of the land.
Property invasion is big business in Costa Rica. Frequently the invaders are not landless peasants who seek just a few square meters to scratch out a living with corn and beans. Often the invasion of private land is a military-style operation that overwhelms law enforcement. The courts are slow to resolve the problem.
There is no law now that requires the state water company to provide service to those who do not own the land they claim. Informally, the state company, the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, has been providing water service even to those who cannot show they have a title to the property involved.
Costa Rica has determined that access to drinking waters is a human right. So the two lawmakers, Aida María Montiel-Héctor and José María Villalta Florez-Estrada, have filed a proposed law, No. 21.675, that would demand that the water company service homes that squatters have erected on land they invaded. That would be required even though the property is well within much larger tracts.
“Water is a an indispensable and necessary recourse for life, and it is for this that we are going to continue fighting so all have access because it is necessary to survive,” said the lawmakers in a news release.
The lawmakers cite a litany of United Nation resolutions and international treaties that characterize access to water as a human right. They also cite Costa Rican Supreme Court rulings supporting their measure.
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Have you heard of squatters invading properties in your community? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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