Build up a database to determine the management of drinking water in the Province of Cartago, Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, the majority of people have drinking water in their homes, but because of climate change along with the increase of population and non-existent planning programs, the distribution of this resource could be affected. To ensure sustainability of drinking water, information on demand and supply is required. Unfortunately, the information is outdated and there is no single unified database to which all management related institutions have access. Costa Rica has many public institutions that perform quality control, monitor and provide licenses for water exploitation. Each institution organizes its information according to their own criteria, therefore, making it impossible to compare the data, and difficult to identify the main problems. The authors verified and compared every database available, aiming to consolidate one database to determinate management of water distribution in Cartago. The main results of this research identified distribution of water suppliers throughout the province, the results were: Aqueduct Administration Associations (27.1%), Municipal Aqueducts (60.2%) and National Costa Rica Aqueducts and Sewerage Institute (AyA) Aqueducts (14.1%). One hundred per cent of Municipal and AyA Aqueducts disinfect and provide potable water, but 25% of Aqueduct Administration Rural Associations do not disinfect the water and there is not enough information about the quality of water that they offer.