Costa Rica’s Water Crisis Deepens as AyA Loses Half Its Supply
Costa Rica’s national water utility is under renewed scrutiny after officials warned that more than half of the water produced by the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados ( AyA ), in the Greater Metropolitan Area failed to become billed consumption between 2019 and 2023. AyA’s unaccounted-for water rate in the GAM remained between 53% and 58% during that period. The rate was 53% in 2019, reached 58% in 2022 and closed at 56% in 2023, meaning that between 53 and 58 of every 100 liters produced in the metropolitan system did not generate billed revenue. The situation has been described as a structural problem for AyA’s finances and for the delivery of potable water service. Unaccounted-for water includes water lost through leaks, pipe failures and other physical losses, but it also includes commercial losses such as meter problems, irregular connections and water that is used but not billed. Even when that water is not charged to customers, AyA still pays to c...