Poll: Your Pick of DR's Top Environmental Priorities

lhtown

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Jan 8, 2002
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Note: I live in SD and my views will be slanted to reflect that.

1. trash collection/disposal
-Fixing this problem could be a key to fixing all of the others.
-Fixing this would be easier than some of the other problems because it is viewed as a need. Also, seeing the progress could help people to start thinking about other needs and restore some pride in corporate cleanliness.

2. Sewage/ wastewater/ runoff handling and treatment
-The obvious and most pressing concern here is health and disease control.

3. trasportation air pollution busses/ heavy vehicles
-These vehicles are the heaviest polluters wasting ridiculous amount of fuel in partially burned exhaust.

4. Noise pollution
-Again, this is a matter of national pride and consideration of others. Improving this issue could have effects in other areas also.

5. trasportation air pollution motorcycles
-This one is a major issue in some areas, but would be tought to fix. They are also a major source of noise pollution. That also would be tough to fix.

6. electricity generation air pollution (mostly generators from power outages)
-In some areas, this is a major problem. In others, it really isn't an issue/

7. deforestation/ agriculture
-Mainly we are talking about river and water problems here if I understand correctly. It is important for maintaining a water supply and for flood control

8. transportation air pollution light passenger vehicles
-A general problem, but not terribly serious in and of itself.
-The best answer probably lies in training mechanics.

9. industry air pollution
-Again, a general problem but not one I perceive as serious or in need of immediate attention. There really is little or no heavy industry.

Oops! Sorry, more than five.
 
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appleman

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Dec 18, 2003
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I don?t live in the DR so maybe my views shouldn?t carry as much weight as those who do, but coming from the US, the things that struck me immediately were:
1. Trash
2. Air pollution/fumes
3. Noise pollution

I am not familiar enough with the infrastructure but I would think that such a beautiful country would or should make sewage disposal/runoff and protection of land and natural resources a top priority

Bob H.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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Lack of clean potable water!

no Sewage treatment .improper Waste disposal,(TRASH) Polution of the land and ground water due to improper bio-chemical-nuclear polutants.
Hydo-carbons.Deforestation,soil erosion.Noise

Cris Colon
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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sewage top

Sewage first. without the sewage the water wont getbetter.
Water second.-
with seage and water if you get the trash issue solved then it is easier to get the populace behind other issue, Waste oil, LAnd use and so forth.
 

Keith R

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Jan 1, 2002
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Re: Lack of clean potable water!

Criss Colon said:
no Sewage treatment .improper Waste disposal,(TRASH) Polution of the land and ground water due to improper bio-chemical-nuclear polutants.
Hydo-carbons.Deforestation,soil erosion.Noise

Cris Colon
:confused: Gee, CC, thanks for prioritizing them! er, maybe I need to re-count my fingers, but isn't that more than 5? ;)
 

Keith R

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lhtown said:
Oops! Sorry, more than five.
Five is ok (especially when so cogently stated), if they are stated in your personal order of priority. If that is the case in your post, I would take it then that you think the top five are, in this order:
1. waste
2. sewage
3. air emissions from heavy vehicles
4. noise pollution
5. air emissions from motorcycles/ motorbikes
 

Keith R

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Re: sewage top

jsizemore said:
Sewage first. without the sewage the water wont getbetter.
Water second.-
with seage and water if you get the trash issue solved then it is easier to get the populace behind other issue, Waste oil, LAnd use and so forth.
So, John, you would do it this way?
1. sewage
2. water quality (or do you mean potability?)

What would be your other top 3?
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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potabilty

Water portability would follow sewage.
Once sewage and water were dealt with general litter would be easier to deal with. Those are attitude driver rather than infrastructure.
So I guess number three was recycling of solid waste to reduce the trash and then number four would be Stream run off.
Number 5 would be replanting forest by making white-collar criminals such as bank and government scoundrels plant trees instead of paying fines. I don?t mean they pay to have them done. I mean they do it them selves.
John
 

Tordok

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Oct 6, 2003
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Le n?mero Uno

Top 5 Enviromental Priorities for the DR?
5. overconstruction on beach resort infrastructure/coastal damage
4. lack of adequate supplies of potable water
3. residential, commercial and industrial waste disposal
2. rehabilitation of the cordilleras hydrologic ecosystem....and the, by far most imminent threat to the health of Hispaniola (thus the DR), is #1. Haiti

-Tordok

note: this is not an attack on Haiti, simply a scientific fact that they have killed their ecosystem and its logical route for expansion would be to go next door.
 

lhtown

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Keith R said:
Five is ok (especially when so cogently stated), if they are stated in your personal order of priority. If that is the case in your post, I would take it then that you think the top five are, in this order:
1. waste
2. sewage
3. air emissions from heavy vehicles
4. noise pollution
5. air emissions from motorcycles/ motorbikes

Yes, I would consider those to be top priorities- at least for Santo Domingo.

As far as potable water, I don't consider it to be an environmental problem per se but rather a result of a lack of treatment, infrastructure and the environmental disaster that is our river system/ watersheds. Fixing the first two items I listed would go a long way towards helping the water situation.
 

Dwald

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Jan 22, 2004
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environment, money, corruption

I really don't know if this is the right tread, but I think corruption cause lot's of env. problems too, just think about concessioni per hotels (sorry, I don't have an english dictionnary) in protected areas to finance politics and so on...

This is an article from the El Caribe of 04/02/04 given me today in the Botanical Garden:

La palabra de los lectores
Parque Mirador Norte
Esas cuatro instituciones juntas, Zoologico Nacional, Acuario, Jardin Botanico y Museo de Historia Natural, reciben un total de RD$4,688,588.29, casi cuatro veces menos que los aportes que el Gobierno central le da al Parque Mirador Norte: RD$:15,778,526.37. El Mirador Norte no tiene animales que cuidar, ni programas de investigaciones, publicaciones, jardinerias o exhibiciones costosas como las que tienen demas. me resisto a pensar que este desequilibrio se deba a que el presidente del Patronato del Mirador Norte es Sergio Grullon, cunado del presidente de la Rep?blica......
A.P.

I do volontariato (sorry again) in the Botanical Garden and see how difficult is to keep it "going". Just one example: before the last hurricane there was an air-conditioned invernadero where to keep mountain orchideas (most of them are endangered endemic species) but the hurrican destroyed the pavilion and now there is no place where to put this plants! In all these years there was no money to build an other one (it was little, about 5m x 7m, and 3,5m high)
Maybe I have to start a thread: Save dominican mountain orchids???
 

Tordok

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Oct 6, 2003
530
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overconstruction on the coastline

Dwald is right. Corruption knows no boundaries, and the environment is one of its biggest victims. Everyone on the thread so far agrees on the waste disposal mismanagement issues and the overall unregulated emissions of all kinds, however I think I might have been the only one so far on this thread to have included tourism infrastructure as a threat to the ecosystem of the Dominican hemi-insula. Are you Globalia stockholders? or relatives of Fello Suberv?, maybe?... LOL

On 1-6-04, I posted my Top 5 Enviromental Priorities for the DR as follows:
5. overconstruction on beach resort infrastructure/coastal damage
4. lack of adequate supplies of potable water
3. residential, commercial and industrial waste disposal
2. rehabilitation of the cordilleras hydrologic ecosystem....and the, by far most imminent threat to the health of Hispaniola (thus the DR), is #1. Haiti


My number 5 is kind of in the news lately. In today's headlines (please see DR1 News' Mejia backs Park of the East development ; Moya Pons enforces Environmental Law , and Hidalgo defends his interests ) we can see what I'm talking about. This corrupt government (not the 1st, and surely won't be the last of its kind) does not listen to its own environmental minister and is willing to defy the laws of the country just so more folks can come to get their suntans and eat a few coconuts. As long as the businesspeople pay their bribes on time, national parks are not necessarily off limits for development. Throw in a few tax breaks to help develop this priority industry and we are selling our scant natural resources to the highest bidder. A few government officials get rich. The hotel owners get richer. The infelices that work at these places remain pretty much poor and watch their ecology deteriorate. Where are the environmental impact studies for this or any other beach resort projects? Are these things openly debated? Is anything safe anymore from the people who can care less about the long-term economic sustainability of a small country?

:ermm:

-Tordok
 

samiam

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Mar 5, 2003
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1-Deforestation and protection of national parks-
We all know how threatened our parks in Bayahibe and Bahia de las Aguilas are. For an island on the process of desertification, we are sure taking things lightly here. This will also help us solve our water supply problems.

2-Water-If we are fighting wars for oil in the 20 and 21 centure, the future will be fought for water. Our rivers have suffered and inmense impact due to deforestation. These problems go hand in hand and should be treated as one and the same issue.

3-Renewable energy sources- Serious thought should be given to this topic as our country will not be able to sustain its energy demands. With alternative sources we can save millions in our fuel bills. Money that can be used to resolve other issues.

4-Waste Management- If there is such a thing in the DR. I mean, when are we going to stop thinking we can just dump our crap anywhere light it up and the bad thing will go away? We have to start looking at our garbage problem as a health risk not as an inconvenience. From proper ways of storing and throwing away the garbage to the right facilities of disposing and recycling it.
And our sewages, I'll tell you a story of when I used to surf in Guibia...better not.

5-Urban Planning- Our cities are very disorganized and this causes problems to arise in the future. With strict urban planning laws that clearly define green areas we can better use opur land and resources to get the most our of them.
 

deelt

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Mar 23, 2004
987
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Top Enviro Five

Keith R said:
What do you think are the DR's top five environmental problems, in which order of priority, and why?

1. Trash collection/disposal
It's a need and a perception issue. Will improve health, control spread of diseases, prevent clogging of drains and groundwater contamination, etc.

2. Sewage/ wastewater/ runoff handling and treatment
-as previously stated, health and disease control.

3. deforestation/ agriculture
-Maintaining the ecological integrity of what is currently still available is important for sustainable development (given that agriculture is impt to the economy) and economic prosperity (via ecotourism, use Costa Rica as case study). It is important for maintaining a water supply and for flood control as another poster stated.

4. renewable energy sources-
their an endless about of sun and the energy it can produce can go a long way to address the blackout issues and the economic progress of the country.

5.trasportation air pollution from all mobile sources/vehicles
-the phasing out leaded gasoline and a vehicle maintenance program will
go a long way to addressing this problem. Incentives should be in place to reduce vehicular emissions.

I had noise pollution last but many of the posters made me rethink my original options. This is why working in groups can result in good ideas..
 
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