Construction chamber urges Costa Rica to speed up water investments

Costa Rica’s construction chamber (CCC) is urging President Carlos Alvarado to intervene to ensure that state water and sewerage utility AyA addresses what it described as “deficiencies” in water management.

In a letter sent to the president earlier this week and reported in local media on Wednesday, the chamber said the country’s water management planning is lagging and presents significant deficiencies.

These shortcomings are delaying investments in water projects, which in turn affects supply for human and industrial consumption, according to the private sector representatives. The CCC said a previous letter highlighting the investment delays, which was submitted to the president’s office in May of last year, never received a response.

According to the chamber, AyA should refocus its efforts to priority and urgent areas, ensuring that water projects can be completed in the established times with adequate planning and oversight.

The CCC calls on the president to establish a roadmap for the utility outlining urgent actions and setting concrete deadlines to provide efficient solutions to address water supply problems.

The letter also points to insufficient investment and planning and management problems when it comes to public works in general, which according to the chamber affects the competitiveness of the country and requires a restructuring of the entities involved in the public infrastructure sector.

The CCC also calls on Alvarado to increase public infrastructure investments, while also strongly promoting public-private partnerships (PPPs) as the most feasible way to obtain needed funding.