Water Upgrades in Rural Costa Rica

Five thousand people in ten communities in South Central Costa Rica enjoy upgraded water facilities, some for the first time. This is the result of a project sponsored by Rotarians in Canada and Costa Rica

 

Water is plentiful in Costa Rica due to the mountain springs throughout country however the challenge is to corral the water at source, pipe it down to storage tanks in the communities and distribute it to the local families. In this project some communities required repair, others needed increased capacity and a few required expanded reach to new families.

 

In these communities, users pay for the water but the communities could not afford the large capital cost to make the upgrades. Rotary provided $100,000 USD in materials and the communities provided equipment, labour and management of the installation. To resolve the affordability problem in future, the project included the creation of a mandatory sustainability fund to cause the communities to save for their own upgrades. Students in the local schools are also receiving training on the environmental protection of water.

 

The project was sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Lethbridge and Lethbridge East in Canada and San Jose Noreste in Costa Rica. Along with club money, the project received support from the Rotary Foundation, Rotary Districts 5360 and 4240 and the Government of Canada.