The unexpected rains that fell on the Central Valley and parts of the Caribbean region of Costa Rica earlier today were a presage of the dry season that will officially begin this weekend. Such was the assessment of the National Meteorology Institute (Spanish initials: IMN), which is forecasting a very dry season that will exacerbate drought conditions in parts of Guanacaste and Puntarenas.

 

The rains that soaked most of the Greater San Jose Metropolitan Area (Spanish initials: GAM) correspond to a transitional period and not to a low-pressure front. High temperatures in the early morning accelerated the evaporation and condensation cycles, which resulted in rains that started around noon. IMN meteorologist Juan Diego Naranjo spoke to national news station Radio Monumental 93.5 FM and explained that in less than 10 days the dry season will be in effect for all of Costa Rica. The last region that may experience rains will be the Southern Pacific coast.

 

The current green or rainy season, which is called “invierno” (winter) in Costa Rica, mostly obeyed to known patterns of climate change: Extended dry periods followed by periods of intense rains. Climate change has been strongly felt in Guanacaste, a province that has experienced major water shortage and is expected to face a tough dry season in the months to come. The problematic water outlook in Guanacaste has been extensively covered by The Costa Rica Star, but some communities of the GAM are expected to endure similar issues this dry season. The Institute of Water and Aqueducts (Spanish acronym: AyA) has identified the following sectors that may be subject to water rationing schemes lasting up to 12 hours per day:

 

• Salitral in Santa Ana
• San Rafael in Coronado
• The highlands of Alajuelita
• Cascajal in Coronado

 

For the communities above, the AyA is preparing cisterna trucks to use during extended periods of rationing. The populous inner city communities of Barrio Cuba, Hatillo and Paso Ancho will not be subject to water rationing next year since AyA has installed new pumping stations at fresh aquifers in San Jose. Rationing schemes will begin after December 15^th. Meanwhile, an emergency plan to bring water to Guanacaste, which is still under a yellow alert declared by the National Committee on Emergencies, is underway despite funding difficulties, which officials hope to cover by floating more sovereign debt bonds next year.

 

Source: Angie Guerrero, CRHoy.com