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Guanacaste residents have taken to drastic measures to combat road dust in recent years. In this photo from December 2014, a local resident carries a bucket of molasses and some material with which to spread it on the roadway. (Photo: Adam Dietrich / La Voz de Guanacaste)
COSTA RICA STAR NEWS BRIEF
Costa Rica’s National Roads Authority (CONAVI) said last week that it will soon begin an effort to reduce road dust on some 15 national routes in the northwestern province of Guanacaste.
CONAVI officials said that the ¢2.4 billion plan (~US $4.5 million) involves the “resurfacing” – though, apparently, not necessarily paving – of some 180 kilometers of dirt and gravel roadway in order to reduce dust produced by passing vehicles, a problem which has been exacerbated since late 2014 in the midst of the worst ongoing drought the province has recorded since 1937.
Many who live in the province – as well as health officials – complain that the problem of road dust is having a significant impact on residents’ health.
Funds for the work will be provided under a previous decree to provide drought relief for the province.
Since the drought began, residents and community leaders have sometimes turned to drastic measures to cut down on road dust in their communities.
In December 2014, community leaders in Nosara took to pouring molasses over the district’s roads in a homebrew attempt to reduce the dust.
