NRM Log - Water and Waste Management

One of the key problems for water supply in Costa Rica is the pipe leakage that occurs. Though Costa Rica is not currently a “water stressed” country, 48% of the clean water is lost due to poor infrastructure. Since so much of the water that is being withdrawn, is not even being used, it is hugely wasteful and could be a huge problem in times when water is scarcer and populations are higher.
The waste water management system in Costa Rica is not incredibly successful. Only 4% of all water is treated and this water is released back into the rivers, which are full of untreated, polluted water. This 4% is a good first step, but the main problem is that the septic tanks seep into the ground. The aquifer is close to the surface and is easily contaminated by these seeping tanks. This degrades the environment and pollutes the drinking water.
One of the key problems for waste management in Costa Rica is that there are very few sanitary landfills and virtually no recycling facilities in the country. This means that the recycling must be shipped somewhere else to be processed. Apart from the enlarged carbon footprint this causes, it also means that there are 78,000 tons/year of recyclables that are not recycled.