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29 Mar 2006

SOAKING Up the Sun: Sunny afternoons like this one enjoyed by a young fisherwoman at Sabana Park, west of San José, will soon be replaced by rain, according to National Meteorological Institute (IMN) scientists. The rainy season -- characterized by sunny mornings, rainy afternoons and clear nights – is already transitioning into the southern Pacific and is expected to arrive to the rest of the country by the beginning of May and last until mid-November.
Shannon Mendes/Tico Times.

Long-Awaited Sewer Project
Gets Financial Support
After at least a decade of delay caused by a lack of financial support, it appears that a project to keep raw sewage out of San José's rivers finally has the backing it needs to get under way.
(Click for more)

U.S. Trade Representative Reminds
Arias CAFTA is Not Negotiable
A letter from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Portman to President-elect Oscar Arias sent March 14 and recently released to the press reiterated that the terms of the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) are not negotiable.
(Click for more)

Poás to Remain Closed
Until At Least Thursday
Access to the popular tourist attraction Poás Volcano National Park will remain restricted until tomorrow at least as authorities continue to monitor the volcano's activity, the daily La Nación reported.
(Click for more)

Tamarindo Tourists Help
Fund Environmental Efforts
By asking tourists to donate $1 for each day of their vacation to environmental efforts in the northwestern Guanacaste Playa Tamarindo, the nonprofit Pro Mejores Association of Playa Tamarindo has raised $15,000 in the first year a project called ‘$1 for Nature',” according to a statement from the organization.
(Click for more)

Tickets for Imperial
Festival Good for Both Days
Those with general admission tickets to the Imperial Festival this Saturday and Sunday will be getting more bang for their buck – the musical event's organizers announced that a general admission ticket purchased for one day will be good for a free ticket to the other day.
(Click for more)

March 29

National Dance Company National Tour
Featuring performances by Etude 1, Jorge Félix Morejón, 79% de un Salario and Carol Dilley. Nicoya, northwestern Guanacaste province. Info: 222-2974.

Free Concert
By Stacy Chamblin (mezzo-soprano), Juan Francisco Nájera (clarinet), Randall Rodríguez (violin), Manuel Matarrita (piano), 7 p.m., UCR School of Music, San Pedro, east of San José.

Edited By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff
aroberson@ticotimes.net

Long-Awaited Sewer Project
Gets Financial Support
By Katherine Stanley
Tico Times Staff
kstanley@ticotimes.net

After at least a decade of delay caused by a lack of financial support, it appears that a project to keep raw sewage out of San José's rivers finally has the backing it needs to get under way.

The Japanese government recently confirmed that its International Cooperation Bank (JICB) will loan Costa Rica $127.2 million for the project, and Rafael Villalta, head of the National Water and Sewer Institute (AyA), announced yesterday that the Costa Rican government will take on $100 million of that debt. The renovation will increase sewer-system coverage in the greater metropolitan area from 45% of the area's population to 85% (1.6 million) inhabitants.

AyA will finance the rest of the $437 million project with its budget.

“We are going to regain the public health of San José,” Villalta said at the press conference following President Abel Pacheco's weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday. He added that damaged pipes and the country's lack of a sewage treatment plant is leading to widespread contamination, since human waste is usually routed directly into rivers; the AyA presentation included a photograph of children playing in sewage-tainted waters.

Phase One of the project will take place from 2006-2016 and focus on San José, increasing the percentage of the population covered by the system to 65% (approximately 1 million). Phase Two, scheduled to start in 2017, will focus on the cantons of Escazú (west of San José ), Aserrí (south of San José ), Tres Ríos and Coronado (east of the capital).

The project was first proposed in the mid-1990s but delayed because of a lack of funds. Last year, AyA announced that the expected Japanese Bank loan and central government support would pay for the much-needed project, which was then scheduled to be completed by 2025 (TT, Feb. 4, 2005).