Costa Rican Community Appeals Private Aqueduct Construction

Protestors
Sardinal Residents Appeal the Construction of an Aqueduct.

After several weeks of protest, a controversial aqueduct project, which would take water from the inland town of Sardinal for use in the fast developing region of Playa del Coco, has been officially halted by the Supreme Court of Costa Rica.

The main complaint by Sardinal residents is the assumption that the project never underwent studies to verify that their water supply would not be affected. They held a series of protests and five official appeals were sent to the Supreme Court, all leading up to this official decision on the grounds that the project lacked technical studies.

Previous to the court proceedings, the Municipality temporarily revoked the projects permits, forcing all construction to stop. Unfortunately, neighbors in the vicinity claimed that the machinery and work continued to proceed with the construction.

This time, the project is expected to be on official hold while the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewers (AyA) along with Senara (the government body in charge of ground waters) are given three days to present a complete copy of all the documents and permits that are associated with the project.

The residents of Sardinal and Playa del Coco have said that representatives from the AyA have been present in both communities trying to raise support for the project. The officials aimed to spread the message that the Costa Rica Real Estate and tourist development in Coco will halt if the extra water is not brought in from the neighboring town of Sardinal to support the increased construction and visitation, which could mean a loss of jobs for the town.

A representative of the Sardinal community attested that they are not against sharing their water with the neighboring town, but they fear that since the project is being completed by a foreign private company, their personal interest is not being taken into account. With lacking proof of technical studies, they fear that a lack of water could be a reality if the project is allowed to proceed. They also fear that their concerns are being misrepresented to the Coco community as a selfish resistance to sharing the water, in an attempt to cause conflict between the people.

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