The Government of Costa Rica and the National Emergency Commission had announced since the end of 2018 measures being taken to face the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENOS) phenomenon that would be causing droughts and floods to a large part of the national territory this 2019; this phenomenon could extend for another nine months and is already causing water rationing in some communities.

The Public Services’ Company of Heredia already informed of big affectation of the superficial water springs that supply the liquid to the counties of San Isidro and San Rafael in Heredia, which forced rationing.

El Niño is a climate pattern that has an impact on ocean temperatures, the speed and strength of ocean currents, the health of coastal fisheries, and local weather.

Normally during this time of the year the Pacific is dry and the Caribbean is very rainy, however, the amount of rain in the Caribbean and North Zone has been considerably less than normal, “this January was the second driest in a registry that dates since 1940, which means that we are facing one of the strongest season droughts registered”, explains the National Meteorology Institute.

High temperatures have been registered in the past few days product of the decrease on the pressure of the trade winds in the Caribbean sea.

Why the change in climate conditions? “It is due in part to the behavior in the temperatures of both Oceans: Pacific and Atlantic. The Pacific Ocean due to the abnormal warming associated with El Niño, while in the Atlantic it obeys to a cooling effect that persists since last year. In both cases the effect is the reduction in the humidity and altered patters of wind, both horizontal and vertical”.
Temperatures are increasing between 0.5°C to 1.5°C. during the day (33°F-34.7°F).

Among the five specific actions that will be implemented to protect the agriculture sector are: adaptation for the estates and farmers, food for the animals, animal health services, economic assistance and phytosanitary vigilance.