We had reported some weeks back that Costa Rica has the most contaminated river in Central America and the repercussions this is having in two beaches in Puntarenas. It is important that we raise awareness on the magnitude of this problem.

The Tarcoles River extends through 111 kilometers (69 miles), it carries the water of 23 other rivers, among them, Maria Aguilar, Torres and Tiribí, it goes through 5 of the 7 provinces of Costa Rica (San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago), it involves 36 municipalities and over 2,330,000 people that live in this area.

In a note published by Telenoticias this week is stated that “According to the Marviva foundation over 130,000 kilograms of plastic are used daily in Costa Rica, which is a very high number for such a small country; more so, over 600 million plastic bottles are produced every year in Costa Rica. If the contamination with this material continues at this rhythm it is expected that by year 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans, since 8.000 million kilograms end up in the ocean every year”.

The problem isn’t new and it continues to affect the endemic flora and fauna existent in the area and the possibilities of progress for the communities that are directly affected by this huge problem, not to mention the fact that is an embarrassment to a country that is globally promoted as an ecological destination and a green paradise.

The “Chucas” dam in Balsa de Atenas is a witness to this situation, (watch the video below) the water here is covered by all kinds of trash (diapers, tiers, bottles, condoms, toys, home appliances, etc.), the scene is sad, the neighbors report the smell is unbearable, this dam actually prevents that all these rubbish ends up in the ocean, but no one seems to want to take responsibility for cleaning up the mess.

The problem has to be approached by different areas, the contamination also includes agrochemicals and organic waste. In 2007 the Constitutional Court in the resolution 5894-07 ordered the Ministry of Health, Costa Rica’s Water and Sewerage company (AYA), the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) and 34 municipalities to work on the elimination of the sources of pollution of the river, almost 10 years later the situation remains the same… or worse.