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Sort of strange how tons of water falling from the sky can wipe out people’s home and business water supplies, but Costa Rica’s aqueducts are subject to the same vulnerabilities as structures and roads that traverse the mountainous, and sometimes slick and slippery hillsides.
Considerable damage from last Thursday’s Tropical Storm Nate to water pipes and distribution tanks have kept more than 200 thousand people throughout Costa Rica, mainly on the Pacific slope but also in some rural mountain areas near San José, without potable water, according to the latest report by the Aqueduct and Sewer Department (AyA, in Spanish).
Residents of some north and south Pacific as well as some regions of the Central Valley will continue to receive water indefinitely through cistern tanks, said the AyA.
The laborious task of rehabilitating water service in these areas, many with steep terrains and that have undergone flooding and landslides, will be covered by the institution’s budget as well as emergency funds, explained AyA president, Yamileth Astorga.
Likewise, yesterday, the National Emergency Commission (CNE) said many of the red alerts that have just been lifted may be reactivated after Friday when a tropical weather system is predicted to cross over much of the country and drop some heavy rains in many areas that were hit by Nate.
CNE President Ivan Brenes said emergency activities continue with over 7,000 people remaining in 131 shelters, and 44 roads still closed. One of the main priorities is to rehabilitate as soon as possible the greatest possible number of roads, stressed Brenes.
