rivers

“Today marks the beginning of a dream in which a group of citizens bet on a crazy idea and it’s becoming a reality," said director Federico Cartín.

San José's rivers are clogged and lost among a sea of traffic, but a new project would turn them into the key to urban renewal thorugh a network of riverbank bike paths.

Heavy rains have squelched an effort to draw attention to the country's neglected and often heavily polluted rivers by reviving the tradition of picnicking along the banks.

As part of the celebration of World Rivers Day, which this year will takes place on Sept. 27, the group Río Urbano is organizing the first edition of "Picnic on the River Costa Rica." The campaign's goal is to draw attention to rivers by reviving the tradition of picnicking along the banks.

The state of Río Torres, which runs through nine cantons in the San José metropolitan area, is deplorable. Not only are fecal matter and trash found in the river, but also toxic substances such as mercury and oil. It’s hard to imagine any living organism surviving in the rushing water, but believe it or not, people still bathe in the river.