Regulatory framework
Article 50-[…]Every person has the basic and inalienable human right of access to drinking water, as an essential good for life. Water is an asset of the Nation, essential to protect this human right. Its use, conservation and exploitation will be governed by what is established by the law that will be created for these purposes, and the supply of drinking water for consumption by people and populations will have priority.
This Law regulates the use of waters of the public and private domain, which are: 1) Those of the territorial seas in the extent and terms established by international law; 2) Those of the lagoons and estuaries of the beaches that communicate permanently or intermittently with the sea; 3) Those of naturally formed inland lakes that are directly linked to constant currents; 4) Those of rivers and their direct or indirect tributaries, streams or springs from the point where the first permanent waters arise until their mouth into the sea or lakes, lagoons or estuaries; 5) Those of constant or intermittent currents whose channel, in all its extension or part of it, serves as a limit to the national territory, and the control of these currents must be subject to what has been established in international treaties concluded with neighboring countries; 6) Those extracted from mines; 7) Those of springs that arise on beaches, maritime areas, channels, basins or banks of national property and, in general, all those that arise on public domain lands; 8) Underground ones whose lighting is not done through wells; 9) Rainwater that flows through ravines or boulevards whose channels are in the public domain. The exception is water that is used under contracts granted by the State, which will be subject to the conditions authorized in the respective concession.
It establishes that the health of the population is a good of public interest protected by the State. It provides that it is an essential function of the State to ensure the health of the population.
This Law declares of public utility the planning, projection and execution of drinking water supply works in all towns, with the Ministry of Public Health being responsible for selecting and locating the water intended for pipe service, the type of treatment thereof and type of drinking water system to be built.
This law provides the State and citizens with the necessary instruments to achieve a healthy and ecologically balanced environment. It also establishes a general framework for participation, project evaluation, environmental education and responsibility and repair of damage to the environment.
The management plan will mainly present the basis of analysis of the territory, developed in the characterization and diagnosis, from which the baseline and agroecological zoning are derived. The plan defines the vision, objectives and work horizon. As complementary elements to the plan, a document has been prepared that develops the profiles of priority projects, a work strategy at the municipal level and a monitoring matrix of the comprehensive water resources management plan with a hydrographic basin approach.
The Surface Water Quality Monitoring Plan is prepared within the framework of the National Program for Monitoring the Quality of Water Bodies of the country and establishes everything related to the implementation of surface water monitoring at the basin level. hydrographic, in order to evaluate and classify them in terms of water quality.
“Water Agenda for 2030” (AA) and achieve through this instrument position the issue as a central axis in the public policies of the State, in order to find more expeditious procedures in order to address limitations, such as budgetary restrictions, insufficient allocation of resources for investment in infrastructure (irrigation, aqueducts, sewage, treatment), delay in legislative reforms and avoiding conflicts in the use of water, among others.
This document corresponds to the estimate of the resource needs that the National Sanitation Investment Plan will demand that the country must execute in the next 30 years, to achieve safe sanitation of the country's wastewater, according to the goals defined in the National Policy on Wastewater Sanitation. The estimation of investment needs was carried out under two alternative scenarios: The first consists of meeting the coverage goals defined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the UN, whose limit year is 2030. The second scenario It consists of meeting the coverage goals of the National Wastewater Sanitation Policy (PNSAR) whose limit year is the year 2045.
The National Development and Public Investment Plan (PNDIP) is an instrument for the formulation of strategic priorities for the development of the country. It is built from the best international practices in planning and evaluation of public policies, where those strategic areas with high potential towards the economic and social development required by the country are considered. Likewise, it is the main instrument of medium-term public policy for the country, where the democratic promise is materialized and validated directly by the government mandate given at the polls in the past democratic election process. This PNDIP considers the citizen and the search for their greatest well-being and prosperity, as a central element in the strategic planning of the different public interventions based on the Management Model for Development Results, which adjust to current and future needs. of Costa Rican society, as well as the different international agendas and objectives for development, such as the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development and the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda.
"The purpose of this law is to promote regional development in Costa Rica, to improve the conditions and quality of life of the entire population, respecting cultural, social, economic, and environmental characteristics and taking advantage of the synergies and potential of each region, within a context of democratic participation. It also aims to progressively reduce regional imbalances through the design and implementation of differentiated and inclusive public policies.
LINK
"The Law consists of six titles, 75 articles, and five transitional provisions. TABLE OF CONTENTS: General provisions (I): General objectives (1); Competence and powers of the State forestry administration (2), National Forestry Office (3), Regional Environmental Councils (4); State natural heritage (II); Private forest ownership (III): Forest management (1), Incentives for conservation (2), Promotion of forest plantations (3), Forest protection (4); Financing of forestry activities (IV): Forest Fund (1), National Forest Financing Fund (2); Forest industrialization (V); Control of forestry activities, infringements and penalties (VI).
"The Action Plan for the National Climate Change Strategy seeks to establish a path for government institutions to carry out their daily activities with low emissions and promote all actions aimed at adaptation and resilience to climate change.
LINK
"Framework for action in the water sector to enable us to address and resolve long-term water management problems, from the perspective of water as a resource and as a service, in accordance with the effective implementation of the National Plan for Integrated Water Resources Management.
LINK
"Decree No. 43458-MINAE declares the National Strategy for the Recovery of Urban Watersheds 2020-2030 Clean Rivers to be of public and national interest. The authorities of the Ministry of Environment and Energy announce that Costa Rica will soon have a new National Water Policy and a National Water Resources Plan that seeks to guide institutions, organizations, and sectors in water security and sustainable water development.
LINK
A series of concrete actions aimed at reviving and improving the agricultural sector in Costa Rica are presented, making use of technological tools that will result in a more productive, competitive, and sustainable sector in economic, social, and environmental terms.
LINK
Water Agenda 2030 (AA) and, through this instrument, position the issue as a central focus of public policy in order to find more expeditious procedures to address constraints such as budgetary restrictions, insufficient allocation of resources for investment in infrastructure (irrigation, aqueducts, sewerage, treatment), delays in legislative reforms, and avoid conflicts over water use, among others.
LINK
The Costa Rican National Drinking Water Policy 2017-2030 (PNAP) is a strategy that strengthens the technical leadership of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA) and defines Costa Rica's drinking water sector and its institutional roles.
This policy will address the protective measures and the need for inter-institutional coordination and civil society participation required for the recovery, rehabilitation, protection, and management of the protected areas established under subsections
a) and b) of the aforementioned article. With regard to the areas defined in subsection c), the National Wetlands Policy 2017–2030 incorporates rehabilitation processes into the objectives, targets, and indicators of Axis 1: Conservation of wetland ecosystems, their goods and services, and Axis 3: Ecological rehabilitation of wetland ecosystems. For recharge areas and the aquifers of the springs defined in subsection d), the National Policy on Integrated Water Resource Management includes these initiatives under the Action Line: Protection of Water Resources.
Overall Objective of the Governance Mechanism: To establish a platform for dialogue and exchange that promotes the integrated management of water resources, enabling the participation of civil society, public institutions, and the general public in strategic initiatives aimed at the protection and sustainability of water resources.
The 2015–2018 “Alberto Cañas Escalante” National Development Plan sets the course for this administration. Its content sets forth the strategic pillars, priorities, objectives, programs, and essential projects , as well as the public management approaches necessary to move toward a society grounded in equity, knowledge, innovation, competitiveness, transparency, and sustainable development.
La Política Nacional de Biodiversidad de Costa Rica 2015-2030 aporta al Estado una ruta que favorece el desarrollo y bienestar humano actual y futuro; también, constituye el marco normativo rector que orienta las acciones en torno a la conservación y uso sostenible de la biodiversidad y su rol vinculante en: el desarrollo humano, la adaptación al cambio climático, la salud humana, la disminución de la vulnerabilidad socio-ambiental y la seguridad alimentaria en Costa Rica.
This National Wetlands Policy, therefore, provides an overview of the current state of wetlands throughout the country with the aim of providing tools and action plans to mitigate the problems they face and maximize their potential benefits. The policy outlined below identifies as a fundamental issue the current deterioration of our wetlands, which—affected by the impact of various human activities, the lack of management planning, inappropriate usage techniques, disjointed sectoral development policies, and the effects of climate change—create an urgent need to take decisive action for their recovery.
This document seeks to develop a forward-looking policy framework on the issue of risk, providing a brief and general overview of the country’s risk profile and the evolution of disaster management—from its institutionalization to the current model of risk management. It then provides a theoretical-philosophical framework and a structure of thematic pillars that address priority areas of action, under which certain guidelines are established to enable national development actors to identify the potential commitments that must be adopted. Likewise, a chapter on management and evaluation is included, which outlines how implementation will be monitored and the monitoring and evaluation elements necessary to measure progress and compliance.
Costa Rica’s National Drinking Water Policy 2017–2030 (PNAP) is a strategy designed to strengthen the technical leadership of the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewerage (AyA) and to define Costa Rica’s drinking water sector and its institutional roles
This Policy is intended to serve as a guiding framework that will direct the country’s actions as part of a set of strategic planning tools. The relevant institutions must establish their commitments in terms of actions and goals to be achieved, which must subsequently form part of the institutional, financial, and operational planning of each of them. This document synthesizes the proposals of key stakeholders who participated in its formulation through a public consultation process. The development of the PNACC was based on existing national policy instruments related to climate change: the National Strategy on Climate Change and its Action Plan (2010–2021); the National Development Plan 2015–2018; the Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030); the Nationally Determined Contribution 2015–2030 (NDC); the National Risk Management Policy (2016–2030); as well as in other
documents, such as the National Communications and the Biennial Update Report (BUR) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).The “National Policy on Wastewater Sanitation” (PNSAR) constitutes the government’s and its institutions’ framework for action, which will guide, propose, and implement a set of measures to ensure the full development and quality of life of the country’s inhabitants, seeking to address critical public issues—such as wastewater sanitation—through decision-making that takes into account short-, medium-, and long-term perspectives.
Institutional Framework
Ensure universal access to drinking water and sanitation in a way that is committed to health, the sustainability of water resources and the economic and social development of the country.
LINK
Contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the country's inhabitants by promoting the management, conservation and sustainable development of the elements, goods, services and environmental and natural resources of the country, whose management corresponds to the MINAE by legal provision or international agreement, guaranteeing the necessary and full harmony between national development activities, respect for nature and the legal consolidation of citizen rights in this matter.
LINK
Fulfill, with efficiency and effectiveness, the functions entrusted to it by law, seeking to satisfy the needs of users of public services under the principles of quality, service at cost, participation, equity, inclusivity, sustainability and universality.
LINK
It is the Administrative Association of the Communal Aqueduct, which arises from an agreement between several neighbors, who permanently pool their knowledge and/or activities to cooperate in the administration, maintenance, operation and development of a communal aqueduct, becoming a private organization providing a public service, by delegation of AyA, non-profit, governed by Association Law No. 218.
LINK
The Administrative Committees will have the following purposes
a) Manage, operate and maintain the aqueduct in good condition, in accordance with the provisions and regulations issued in this regard by the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA).
b) Obtain the effective participation of the community in the construction, operation, maintenance and administration of the aqueduct.c) Collaborate in educational programs and campaigns that are undertaken.
d) Help explain and disseminate in the community the provisions and regulations of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers.
LINK
We are a company that provides quality services in the water, energy, sanitation, infocommunications and other sectors, which contributes value and development to society through the continuous improvement of its management.
LINK
We are the institution that directs and guides social actors to develop actions that protect and improve the physical, mental and social health of the inhabitants, through the exercise of stewardship of the National Health System, with a focus on promoting health and disease prevention, promoting a healthy and balanced human environment, under the principles of equity, ethics, efficiency, quality, transparency and respect for diversity.
LINK
Costa Rica reported a total population of 5,111,550 inhabitants in 2020, of which 4,932,314 (96.5%) received water from an official operator 5,111,550 inhabitants, of which 4,932,314 (96.5%) received water from an official operator, with an intradomiciliary water service of 5,012,475 inhabitants (98.1%) and 93.5% covered with drinking quality water, for 4,779,919 people. 918,640 people (76.6%) dispose of their sewage through septic tanks, 715,617 (14.0%) by sewerage with treatment, 406,525 (8.0%) with sewerage without treatment, 57,925 (1.1%) by use of latrines and others, while 12. 843 people (0.2%) defecate in the open, a situation that remains very similar to previous years, which shows a lack of investment in this area.
Costa Rica
Regarding the gaps in potability, chlorination and water evaluation identified and classified by canton, it was determined that 37 cantons (45.1%) remained the same as in 2019, 19 (23.2%) improved in potability, 2 (2.4%) in chlorination and 17 (20.7%) in water quality evaluation, while 14 (17.0%) improved in potability, 1 (1.2%) in chlorination and 6 (7.3%) in water quality evaluation. Meanwhile, 25 cantons (30.5%) require “immediate” attention to their gaps, 10 (14.6%) “intermediate” attention, 15 (18.3%) should “optimize” and 30 (36.6%) should “provide sustainability” of their services.
Links of interest:
OLAS