By Amanda Roberson, Tico Times Staff

The weather pattern “El Niño” could affect Costa Rica at the end of this year and the beginning of next year, bringing heavy rains to some regions and droughts to others, and the Production Ministry (MIPRO) yesterday announced that it has created a commission to plan for these possible effects.

El Niño consists of water in the Pacific Ocean heating up by 1 to 5 degrees Celsius, the commission’s coordinator, Ricardo Montero, explained. Costa Rica has experienced the effects of El Niño for the past several years; they were strongest in 1997-1998, when heavy rains caused flooding in several parts of the country.

This year’s effects could be similar, Montero said. Already, the rainy season has produced unusually little rain in the Central Valley and the northwestern Guanacaste province, while the Caribbean slope has seen heavy rains and flooding.

This extreme weather, which is likely to continue through the beginning of next year, could affect the agricultural industry as well as citizens’ safety, Production Minister Alfredo Volio said yesterday at a press conference.

In particular, areas that typically experience a lot of rain, mainly the Caribbean slope and coast, are likely to see extremely heavy rains, while the Pacific coast, which typically has drier weather, could see droughts.

The sugarcane, rice, livestock, fishing and banana industries are likely to be affected, Volio said. Dry weather can lead to plagues of rats in croplands, while wet weather can breed bacteria and harmful insects.

The commission, which is made up of representatives from MIPRO, the National Emergencies Commission (CNE) and the National Meteorological Institute (IMN), is working on contingency plans to “keep these problems under control and work hand-in-hand with the agriculture sector to mitigate the possible effects of El Niño,” Volio said.

Taking an inventory of the country’s livestock feed, forming regional committees and strategizing to move cattle if necessary are among plans the commission is discussing.