QCOSTARICA — On Monday, January 22, Costa Rica’s water and sewer utility, the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA), received the first report of tap water smelling and tasting like gasoline.
That was the situation in three cantons located northeast of San José: Tibás, Moravia, and Goicoechea.
The complaints continued on social media through Tuesday and Wednesday, despite the AyA repeating the message that there was no contamination, until Thursday afternoon, when the Ministry of Health issued an order and the AyA confirmed that, yes, the water in the three cantons was contaminated with a hydrocarbon.
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The situation was compounded when the Minister of Health, Mary Munive, confirmed that authorities still do not know what is the cause.
Today, Monday, January 29, the “criatura” (creature), as Munive described it last week, continues.
The AyA still does not know what chemical is contaminating the water that reaches these three cantons and also a sector of the central canton of San José, to which the problem spread.
It is also not known how the water, which is reaching more than 100,000 people is mixing with the hydrocarbon.
The recommendation of not to use the water for consumption or for giving to pets remains.
The recommendation also includes not using water to prepare food or for personal hygiene. Boiling it does not change the situation.
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The temporary solution has been the distribution of water in tanker trucks or small trucks with tanks along the main streets of the communities. The schedules of these vehicles are announced through a WhatsApp channel.
Some supermarkets report massive purchases of bottled water, both in the affected areas and in other surrounding cantons. Companies like Femsa (Coca-Cola bottler) and Fifco (bottled water) donated thousands of liters of water to support those affected.
What has many residents worried and upset is that, although the condition was made public and confirmed by the AyA on Monday the 22nd, it wasn’t until the 25th that the Ministry of Health issued a health order and the AyA finally admitted that, yes, there was contamination,
In the week, at least six people had to be treated for symptoms related to the consumption of the contaminated water, as reported by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS).
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For now, there is only speculation and the hypothesis that could be the cause. Saturday night, January 27, the Ministry of Health reported that the last tests collected were positive. That is, they contained the contaminant that for now is not known except that it could be an “oil.”
“Preliminarily the samples continue to be positive in the water treatment plant, so tomorrow (Sunday) more samples will be taken to be able to follow up.
“Our officials continue working to assess the potential causes of what the contaminant was and its origin,” Health said publicly.
On Sunday, January 28, the Ministry of Health recommended that the thousands of people who work in the affected areas work from home (teleworking) and that “rigorous sampling, analysis of the water and pipe system and collection of topographic information and sampling of vapors in the subsoil” are being carried out to determine the depth of contamination.
For the time being, the Ministry of the Environment has not made any public comment related to the problem and the investigations carried out the Health and the AyA.
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