Turrialba will have three citizen water observatories, backed by the Tropical Agronomic Research and Teaching Center (CATIE) and the Union of Asadas from the Jiménez cantón. Each one will have the objective of promoting the responsible participation of people and communities in the conservation, restoration and protection of their bodies of water.
The news was given this Friday during the commemoration of the first anniversary of the “National Strategy for the Recovery of Urban Watersheds 2020-2030: Clean Rivers”, carried out at CATIE, located in Turrialba.
Improving the conditions
“Improving the current conditions of our rivers is a priority and the results in the first year of its implementation in two pilot micro-basins: “Torres and María Aguilar”, show that it can be done. We seek to promote the development of the Strategy in more watersheds, always with the support of organizations”, explained the Minister of Environment and Energy, Andrea Meza.
The project is led by the Vice Ministry of Water and Seas of MINAE and by the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA). 30 organizations, public institutions, local governments, academia, civil society, private companies, among others, participate in it.
According to the Government, in a year they have given 10 awareness talks and information about the strategy, and they prepared and executed the Pact for the María Aguilar River, where 17 organizations committed to carry out actions for the recovery of the river.
Consolidating joint efforts
“The project’s mission is to consolidate efforts for the recovery of the country’s urban rivers through inter-institutional coordination, citizen participation and innovation,” commented the Minister of Water and Seas, Haydée Rodríguez.
During the year of operation of the Strategy, 10 clandestine solid waste dumps were identified in the Torres and María Aguilar rivers, they were intervened and cleaned. They also planted 850 native and ecologically important trees in the Torres river micro-basin.
