Costa Rica’s national water utility is asking everyone to use less water as the dry season begins this week in Guanacaste and the Central Valley, with a strong El Niño expected to keep conditions drier and hotter than normal through January. The Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA) made the appeal on Monday. It is a request, not a restriction. AyA said it is not rationing water and has no plans to do so in the near future.
The reason is timing. The National Meteorological Institute (IMN) expects the dry season to start this week in the North Pacific and Central Valley, during Nov. 16–22 in the Central Pacific and during Nov. 23–29 in the South Pacific. Once the rain stops, the sources that feed many water systems stop recharging. IMN director Bernard Stolz said in May that AyA is among the institutions hit hardest by El Niño because rain stops falling in the high parts of the mountains. Water saved now helps carry systems through the driest months of the year.
Here is what AyA is asking you to do at home.
- Take shorter showers, and turn off the tap while you soap up or shampoo.
- Fix leaks, and check faucets, pipes and toilets for water running when it shouldn’t be.
- Don’t hose down sidewalks, patios or driveways.
- Reuse water for household jobs that don’t need drinking water.
- Collect rainwater for plants and outdoor cleaning, but don’t drink it.
- Run the washing machine only with a full load.
One thing AyA does not want you to do is stockpile. Drinking water stored too far in advance can lose quality and become contaminated, so there is no need to fill containers unless your provider announces a cut. This year has already tested the supply. Water rationing reached dozens of Pacific communities, and in October authorities issued the country’s first red alert at sea.
The Central Valley is exposed too. A national El Niño contingency strategy drawn up by the National Emergency Commission (CNE) with AyA and other institutions projected lower output from the surface and underground sources that supply the Greater Metropolitan Area. That plan listed at least 120,579 AyA customers in San José districts, including Pavas, Tibás, Goicoechea, Moravia and La Uruca, as facing possible supply impacts. It also set out tanker-truck service for critical areas such as La Carpio.
If your water comes from a local ASADA rather than AyA, as it does in many Guanacaste beach towns and rural communities, that provider sets its own schedules. Check its notices or social media pages for any changes. AyA’s appeal did not single out specific regions or set a consumption target. If supply does tighten, service schedules would come from AyA or from local providers.
