Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves has declared a national emergency in the Caribbean territory, as he seeks funds from international lenders to rebuild roads destroyed by incessant rains in the past few weeks.
Chaves said Costa Rica needs some US$700 million to repair schools and roads, while admitting that the condition of roads throughout the country is “truly deplorable”.
Local media outlet Tico Times, which is an English-language media organisation based in Costa Rica, quoted the president as saying: “I’m going to state what is obvious and evident: the infrastructure in this country is truly deplorable. When it rains, we must close roads.”
GOVERNMENT URGED TO REPAVE ROAD NETWORK
Rains have damaged more than 1,000 schools, forcing authorities to close dozens of major highways leading to tourist hotspots in Southern provinces. Local media outlets blamed the lack of maintenance and corruption for the current condition of infrastructure.
They are urging the government to repave the road network before the situation deals a devastating blow to the country’s tourism industry, a major pillar of the Costa Rican economy.
The Costa Rican president expressed confidence that the government would be able to borrow US$700 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and assured he would seek additional cash from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Earlier this week, the country’s transport ministry put out an advisory, urging citizens to avoid all national highways, adding that landslides could affect roads, particularly in the hilly regions.
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