QCOSTARICA – Once again, the new Legislative Assembly building, the grey concrete box recently built to house the country’s lawmakers, couldn’t keep the rain out.
Several offices building were flooded this Thursday, legislators and assistants having to scurry for plastic to cover the desktops, pitchers to trap the water and umbrellas to keep dry from water dropping from the ceiling.
Although there were dozens of leaks reported, the main areas affected were the as happened in the office of legislator Catalina Montero, on the fifth floor and commission rooms on the 4th floor.
Legislators of the Special Commission for Coastal Zones had to meet in the midst of the constant waterfalls, given the lack of consensus to stop the proceedings.
Antonio Ayales, executive director of the Congress, said that a pipe burst in a bathroom in a Catalina Montero office. It is a conduit that uses groundwater for sanitation services. “They are clean waters,” he said.
This is not the first time that this type of flooding has happened, since several months ago the entrance of legislative employees was flooded, on the 2nd floor, due to the lack of a slope that would prevent the entry of water when it rains very hard.
Through a statement, the trust of the state bank the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), owner of the Congress building that leases it back to the legislative power, reported that the flood was caused by damage to the pipes, which caused a water leak that affected part of the property.
“We began immediately with the application of the corresponding protocols and proceeds to control the outlet of water,” reported the Legislative Assembly / BCR 2011 trust.
It was also indicated that both the trust and the Assembly’s Maintenance Administration Unit contacted the construction company and the insurer to make a preliminary analysis of the situation.
The director of Press and Protocol, Karla Granados, affirmed that the executive director of the Assembly, Antonio Ayales, was meeting with the representatives of Edica, the construction company, and the management company, Mabinsa, to solve the problem.
