Costa Rica's Limón province sees water, sanitation investments

Costa Rica's state-owned water and sewerage utility AyA said it is investing 21.5bn colones (US$37.4mn) in water and sanitation initiatives in Limón province.

The company is carrying out nine potable water projects in the subdivisions of Limón Centro, Pococí, Siquirres, Talamanca, and Matina, with another two wastewater treatment initiatives still in the works.

An additional1.24bn colones are being invested to carry out aqueduct works in the province's indigenous areas, which will benefit 4,700 people.

One of the largest projects that is currently underway is the 7.4bn-colon Limón Sur aqueduct, an initiative that entails carrying out improvements to the local potable water system and building a 2,000m3 water storage tank. The initiative, which is set to benefit 14,000 people, is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of next year.

In Limón Centro, the AyA is building a tank with the capacity to store 10,000m3 of water at a cost of 2.2bn colones.

A potable water project in Milano de Siquirres is expected to be completed in December, while other initiatives will be concluded over the course of 2018.

In the sanitation area, AyA will build a sanitary sewage and flood control system at the province's Caribbean coast to the tune of US$42mn. The construction of the sewage system of Puerto Viejo and Cocles, which also involves building a wastewater treatment plant, will require an estimated investment of US$12.5mn. Both initiatives are still in the pre-investment phase, the government said in a statement.