Liberia is the first district and capital city of the canton of Liberia, in the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. It is in the northwest corner of the country. As of 2011 the population is 54,656.

Onsite sanitation is used by 85% of the population. Emptying services are provided by independent providers many of whom operate in the informal sector and don’t comply with local laws, consequently they dispose sludge directly into drains or the river. The remaining 14% are connected to a sewer network. Wastewater is treated in the city’s facultative lagoon system, however effluent exceeds the discharge standard in most cases.

The SFD graphic shows that 22% of the excreta generated is safely managed and the balance (78%) is unsafely managed. The unsafely managed excreta are from faecal sludge not emptied from unsafe systems (45%), faecal sludge not delivered to treatment (27%), and wastewater not treated (5%). The safely managed excreta are from faecal sludge treated at the treatment plant (22%) and wastewater treated at the treatment plant (9%).

• Prepared by: GIZ
• Date of production: 16/01/2023
• Last update: 20/01/2023