Costa Rica News – If you are wondering why the mouths of rivers pouring into the oceans smell a little funny or wonder why there is an aroma of a dirty bathroom when standing by a river in San Jose it is because that bathroom break you took at house is probably being transported on one of Costa Rica’s internal waterways. Disgusting right? It has gotten so bad in Costa Rica that the World Bank has warned Costa Rica that they need to fix the problem now before more damaged is caused to the delicate environment.
This region is home to the greatest biodiversity in the world. It also has in its possession over a third of the whole world’s water resources and 75% of all the raw sewage created in Latin America is dumped into rivers, without being treated first. That’s extremely gross if you think about it. Obviously, it creates immense risks to the public health.
Specifically in Costa Rica, less than 1% of the waste water in the Greater Metropolitan Area of San Jose is treated. This should all change in May 2015, the expected completion date for a new treatment plant.
The sewage treatment plant is already under construction. The plan is to reduce the raw sewage entering the rivers in the capital. The Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA) is responsible for the project.
The plant is to process sewage from residents of Tibás, Moravia, Goicoechea, Coronado, Montes de Oca, Desamparados, Escazú, Alajuelita, and San José. They make up over a million residents. The sewage is currently going into the Tiribi, Maria Aguilar Rivera, Torres, and Virilla rivers. The plant will cost $344 million dollars, $45 million is for the plant itself and the rest is for replacing or upgrading the sewers throughout the city.
We an only hope that a government entity in Costa Rica can perform the job that is required. If they cannot meet the deadline or they do not construct this plant correctly it could cause irreparable damage to Costa Rica and its flora and fauna.
