Top 10 Costa Rica

Costa Rica: almost 600,000 people drink contaminated water

Some 557,000 people in Costa Rica drink water that is contaminated with fecal material or chemicals, especially hydrocarbons, according to tests carried out by national water utility AyA.

The figure represents 13% of the population connected to a potable water system, local paper La Nación reported.

AyA’s water laboratory carried out the tests in 2009 to determine the levels of pollution in drinking water throughout the country.

Contamination usually occurs when water sources are not properly protected or (water managers) do not use disinfectant to make the water potable, according to the director of AyA’s water laboratory, Darner Mora.

Alajuela province has the highest levels, with a total of 174,853 people receiving contaminated water, while in Puntarenas province the problem affects 70,000 people. In San José province 57,000 drink contaminated water.

Nevertheless, access to potable water has increased over the past few years. In 1991, only half of the population had access to potable water services. Ten years later, in 2001, this rose to 75% and currently 87% of the population is connected to potable water systems.

The country should have 100% potable water coverage by 2015, according to AyA’s executive director Ricardo Sancho.

Costa Rica has 2,302 water systems of which 178 are managed by AyA; 248 by local municipalities; 1,864 by community associations; and 12 by the firm Empresa de Servicios Públicos de Heredia.