As part of the commemoration of World Water Day, Costa Rica declared of public and national interest the National Strategy for the Recovery of Urban Watersheds 2020-2030 Clean Rivers.
For the Costa Rican government, it is clear river pollution is an issue that has not been properly addressed throughout the years. The city rivers are often found filled with trash or wastewater; tragically, some are even used as illegal dumping sites.
Clean Rivers, is an environmental initiative part of the “National Strategy for the Recovery of Urban Watersheds 2020-2030”, that aims to clean and recover the most polluted water streams in San José.
President Carlos Alvarado, mentioned that the proposal has articulated the efforts of institutional, academic, community, private and international organizations, towards the recovery and rehabilitation of urban watersheds.
The plan includes several strategies, such as restoration of the biological corridor of the rivers through reforestation and sanitary sewage works. It also involves the installation of barriers to capture solid waste in riverbeds, tools for monitoring protection areas to prevent new invasions, and community involvement in river protection.
As a preventive measure, those involved in the proposal are working on a proposition to achieve the reduction of illegal waste discharges into watercourses.
Cynthia Barzuna, Vice Minister of Water and Seas, stated that “the new policy has gone through a broad path of analysis, consultation, dialogue and will be an instrument of the highest level to direct and guide all the sectors involved.”
José Vicente Troya, United Nations representative, declared that “this roadmap for the recovery of the biological corridor will result in a greening of the city and an improvement in biodiversity conservation, based on the 2030 Agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The Water Directorate announced the implementation of the National Registry of Wells: a computer tool that will allow the integration of technical and administrative information related to wells. Finally, the National Clean Rivers Strategy intends to provide Costa Rica with the necessary tools for the optimal and sustainable management of water resources and guarantee the human right to water and a clean environment
