Source: La Voz Liberacionista

Despite its world-class golf courses, massive luxury beach resorts and proposed water parks (complete with wave pools), Guanacaste is known to most people as the region with the most serious water challenges in Costa Rica. This is not, however, the view of legislator Maria Ocampo of the ruling National Liberation party, a Guanacaste native who sees “no problems with water distribution” in the province.

At a recent legislative session in San Jose, Legislator Ocampo stated that she sees no issue with turning over control of the community water management offices in Guanacaste to the national Water and Aqueducts (Spanish initials: AyA) utility. She was referring to the ongoing ruckus at Playa Potrero, despite her leader and presidential candidate Johnny Araya’s support for keeping water management at the community level in Guanacaste.

As reported by Andrea Mora of online news daily El Pais, Legislator Ocampo believes that everyone in Guanacaste has equal access to water. Other legislators are convinced this is not the case: Former presidential candidate Jose Maria Villalta of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) political party remarked that it is outrageous to claim that there are no water issues in Guanacaste when he knows that:

“there have been luxury condominiums developed that cannot be given occupational permits because there is not enough water for them. Those communities are being stripped of their utility management rights so that water can be routed to luxury development projects; such was the case in Sardinal.”

Legislator Yolanda Acuna of the Citizens’ Action political party cited government statistics that show poverty runs rampant in Guanacaste despite the luxury tourism and real estate developments, and that to try to take water away from poor communities to give to keep the resorts should not be allowed.

Libertarian Legislator Marielos Alfaro reminded the Assembly that in cases such as the one unfolding in Playa Potrero, the community should respect the standing order from the Constitutional Chamber, which directs the AyA to take over the local water utility due to a complaint and an investigation that revealed poor management even at the community level. This is a reminder that water in Guanacaste, contrary to what Legislator Ocampo believes, is not abundant and must be managed in an equitable and incorruptible fashion that serves the interests of all residents, regardless of their socioeconomic status.