Comptroller
Finds Abnormalities in Sardinal Aqueduct
(InfoWebPress ) – The Comptroller General’s
Office has detected a series of weaknesses
in the control procedures that are supposed
to be implemented by the Costa Rican Water
and Sewer Institute (AyA) over condominium,
apartments, shopping centers and other
buildings in the El Coco-Ocotal, which seek
to get water supply from the aqueduct being
built in that area — according to article 38
of the Urban Planning Law, No. 4240.
The Comptroller determined that of the 24
projects being developed in the El Coco-Ocotal
area, 12 correspond to apartments, villas,
hotels and commercial spaces, reason for
which they were not part of AyA’s approval
process according to the analysis of
blueprints (verification of aspects related
to distribution of potable water, the system
for collecting and disposing of residual
waters, the stormwater drainage system, road
profiles and treatment plants). The reason
is that the current legislation doesn’t
include that category of construction uses.
Meanwhile, of the 12 projects that were
subjected by AyA approval, six are
completely finished and currently operating,
four are very advanced in the construction
process, and there are two whose status is
unknown. However, in all cases, it has been
more than 18 months since the Urbanization
Department of AyA rubber-stamped their
blueprints or rejected them because of lack
of paperwork, and only one field inspection
has been conducted. Such almost non-existing
verification of the works prevents
authorities from knowing if the projects are
being done according to the technical
standards and rules for provision of
services.
Other issues include the fact that for seven
different services, what was charged was the
residential rate, even though the business
rates applied. Additionally, in three of the
projects, the meters did not show any
readings, meaning for long periods of time
the customers have been charged the minimum
rate. In another case, invoices evaded due
to an illegal connection were not collected,
despite the fact that there was a report
from the inspector about the issue.
Erroneous charges are also due to a
deficient information system. At the time of
the analysis, the Comptroller General found
several condominium projects and apartments
in the El Coco-Ocotal area that were already
finished, and whose status appears in the
Integrated Commercial System as “in
construction.” Other projects with a high
degree of advancement are indicated as
“occupied homesteads” or “empty lots.”
Moreover, some of the services provided are
not being invoiced to the new owners of
those properties.
In the office of Sardinal, the Comptroller
found that no periodic studies are being
done to verify if customers adequately use
water services, nor to detect fraudulent
connections. According to the field
inspection carried out by the Comptroller’s
Office, there are several condominium
projects and apartments duly finished and in
operation, which are being serviced via a
12-mm diameter service, which is the one
normally used to provide a single family
home with water. This finding was
communicated to the Chorotega Regional
Office, which ordered a cadastral study of
the Las Palmas real estate development in El
Coco, whose results showed that there 311
connections with the wrong code assigned,
eight meters with a number different from
that of the invoice, three illicit
connections and 46 services with wrongly
assigned rates — whose inclusion in AyA’s
invoicing system would generate an annual
increase of approximately 11 million colones.
Finally, in some of the projects, permanent
water service was provided during the
construction phase, which were supposed only
to be provided until all works related to
the El Coco-Ocotal aqueduct were completely
finished.
That’s why the Comptroller’s Office ordered
several dispositions to AyA authorities,
with the goal that this institution will
correct the weaknesses detected and exercise
better control of water services provided by
the Sardinal Office.
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