Costa Rica gives update on aqueduct reconstruction efforts

Reconstruction of 24 aqueducts that were damaged in Costa Rica by Hurricane Otto last November is ready to begin, the government said in a news release.

Following visits to the damaged aqueducts, repair works on 11 aqueducts located in the subdivisions of Upala (8) in Alajuela province and La Cruz (3) in Guanacaste province are set to begin next month and should be concluded by the first quarter of next year.

The reconstruction of the remaining 13 aqueducts will be undertaken next year, given that more complex works are required, and these are scheduled to be completed during 2018 and 2019. Twelve of these aqueducts are located in Upala and one in Bagaces, a subdivision of Guanacaste province.

The works will be funded with a US$10mn grant that the government of the United Arab Emirates awarded to Costa Rica in January, which was disbursed in March.

The effort is being coordinated by national water utility AyA and the national emergency commission (CNE), as well as the presidential commission for reconstruction.

AyA had already implemented temporary solutions to ensure that the water carried by the aqueducts to the population would not be interrupted.