Costa Rica is one of the few countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where tourists can drink water straight from the tap. It boasts a 93.9% coverage rate for safe drinking water. However, data from the Latin America and Caribbean Water and Sanitation Observatory (OLAS) shows that this reality does not always extend to the most remote areas.
More than a decade ago, communities like Santa Rosa de Pocosol, La Virgen y Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Santa Fe de Los Chiles, or the Maleku Indigenous Territory in the north were tiny and often lacked access to potable water. Over time, these populations grew, and so did their demand for water. As a result, their small-scale, artisanal water supply systems could no longer keep up.
Newcomers to these areas encountered conditions that were hard to imagine from the comfort of city life: wells that dried up during the summer, mineral streaks that turned water a muddy brown, and entire families forced to carry water in buckets from rivers or the few reservoirs available in the area. Everything changed with a comprehensive project supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and financed by the Spanish Cooperation’s Fund for Cooperation for Water and Sanitation (FCAS). This initiative enabled access to water and sanitation for 34,000 Costa Ricans
How Lack of Safe Water Affected Communities, Families, and Individuals
The memories of days without reliable water supply remain vivid: children walking to rivers carrying large water containers, constant breakdowns in the aging systems, and a daily routine defined by scarcity. During the dry season, the situation was even more dire. Aniceto Blanco from Maleku recalls: “Back then, there were no pipelines, and we had to fetch water from the rivers in large gourds. Water was scarce at the school because the system was old and broke down almost daily.”
The same story played out in Los Chiles and across other communities. “When we didn’t have water, it was tough. We had to haul it from the well using a rope,” says Katia Segura.
Back then, having a reliable water supply seemed like a fantasy. “For us, it was a dream. Most people told us we were crazy,” remembers Mario Cortéz, thinking back to the skepticism of neighbors when the topic came up.
“Water usage peaks at certain hours of the day. When people were cooking or doing chores, it wasn’t enough for everyone. So, in places like the school or in higher-up areas, there wasn’t enough pressure during the day,” explains Marco Villegas.
Ivania Segura recalls, “I arrived in this community 11 years ago and found there was no water. I started asking around and was told they were switching wells.” When she realized the water from the new well was of poor quality, she decided to get involved — eventually becoming a beneficiary of the project that made all the difference.
A Collective Project That Changed Everything
Despite all the challenges, these communities did not give up. With support from the IDB and the Spanish Cooperation’s FCAS, the project that transformed their lives got underway. The construction of six aqueducts was key to providing water and sanitation access to these remote populations.
Today, the communities benefit from a modern, efficient system that includes new pipelines, tanks, distribution networks, and safe access points. At home, clean drinking water is available 24 hours a day. Opening a faucet and seeing clean water flow might seem simple — but it’s the result of years of collective effort, community perseverance, and international cooperation.
The impact goes far beyond physical access. Better service has brought health, wellbeing, and peace of mind. Children no longer miss school because of water shortages, and families have regained precious time and quality of life.
“Our goal is to guarantee the human right to water and sanitation — a right recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010. It is not only essential to people’s dignity but also to sustainable development, particularly in rural areas,” explains Spain’s Ambassador to Costa Rica, Eva Felicia Martínez.
“Spain is a strategic partner providing critical support to reach communities that have traditionally been marginalized and without access to basic services. This has been a major project in northern Costa Rica, and we believe it will have a lasting impact on these communities’ quality of life and on broader access to improved water and sanitation,” emphasizes Francisco Javier Urra, IDB Representative in Costa Rica.
In Costa Rica, what was once considered an impossible dream is now part of everyday life. Project beneficiary Rodrigo Vargas puts it simply, with a smile: “It’s nice to have water all the time, day and night. It actually feels good to open the tap and take a shower.”
This article is part of the series “Changing the World Through Water and Sanitation”, a collaboration between the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), highlighting how water and sanitation projects are transforming lives across Latin America and the Caribbean.
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