By Wendy Anders

More than 16,000 residents of Atenas, a small town west of San José, will continue without water indefinitely due to damage to a potable water pipeline that supplies the area, reported local media this week.

The Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA) reported that work is underway to replace the pipe, which was affected after a tree fell on the main water duct last Friday causing it to collapse.

The repair work is complicated by the location of the damage, the AyA reported.

The mayor of Atenas, Wilberth Martin, said that the rebuilding of the water duct was delayed due to the difficulty of transporting the workers to the site.

To mitigate the lack of water, the AyA has been sending water cisterns, but in some areas, such as the Los Angeles district, the truck provides service only once a day.

The communities affected by the lack of water are Barrio Mercedes, Fátima, Sabana Larga, Güízaro, Atenas center, Boquerón, Los Ángeles, Calle Alajuela, Oratorio, Estación, Río Grande and Pan de Azúcar.

The mayor estimated that the service may be reestablished on Thursday, but the AyA has given no date.