Re Water Situation In Sosua

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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From today's Sosua News:


Recently, a meeting was held at the conference room of the town hall of Sos?a for residents of Sos?a. The meeting focused on complaints that people have about the lack of piped water supply for weeks now. For weeks, the towns of Sos?a including Cangrejos, Charamicos, Maranatha, Los Castillos and La Uni?n devoid of water. The meeting was led by Mayor Ilana Neumann and several councilors including Johnny Matos. The residents expressed their anger at the lack of the water so they could not bathe for weeks now and can not wash their clothes. And all this under daily temperatures of 30 to 38 degrees Celsius! The spokesman for the water company CORAAPLATA said in its defense that the supply of water to the municipality of Sos?a costs 10 million pesos per months. But because many people do not want to pay their bills, the company can only pick up 7 million per month. That means a loss of 3 million pesos per month!

The losses incurred and the water company can no longer meet her obligations. The spokesman also complaint about the fact that many residents waste unnecessarily a lot of water. They often leave the tap open for long periods of time. Eventually they appointed a committee of six people, consisting of representatives of the residents, the water company and the municipality and they have the task to come up soon with a solution for the problem.
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
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So you are saying that the Towns of Sosua and surround do not have a reservoir or permanent supply of water availalble. Perhaps the Gov should invest in a desalinazation plant to create a continuous supply of fresh water. This not only sounds like a continuous nightmare but also typical short sighted planning by an inept local government. Not to have solved this problem a long time ago is close to criminal.
 

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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it is not much better in POP, either. water is like a rare commodity for people in certain areas now.
 
May 29, 2006
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When you turn on the faucet and no water comes out, people often leave it full open so they know when it comes back. If they happen to leave the house for the day... oh well. Makes it hard to recover water pressure.

Maybe a water tower would help to smooth out the demand issues. Not going to be cheap, but where are the lines in Sosua pressurized? POP? Isn't that where the water is coming from?

It doesn't take much to disable a water system with user neglect. Even 100 minor leaks at two gallons a minute and you're talking about 2 million gallons of wasted water a week. There are prob far more than 100 leaks in Sosua with many of them more than just a running toilet.
 

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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Seems pretty straight forward to me.

1) Dig a hole to the aquifer
2) Install a pump
3) Pump the water

When surface sources dry up, switch on the bomba. When rain replenishes the reservoirs, turn it off.
 

Meems

New member
May 1, 2013
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Like so many other things in this country, it's going to take building/rebuilding infrastructure as well as some serious public education. Many residents are absolutely clueless about water conservation (as well as proper disposal of garbage, littering, etc., but I digress). If the gov't is serious about moving this country from the 2.5 world to serious contender status, it's all of these things that will have to be addressed.

The company that is responsible for the billboards in Santiago educating against domestic violence seems to know what they are doing. Give them the water conservation education mandate.
 

jstarebel

Silver
Oct 4, 2013
3,330
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When you turn on the faucet and no water comes out, people often leave it full open so they know when it comes back. If they happen to leave the house for the day... oh well. Makes it hard to recover water pressure.

Maybe a water tower would help to smooth out the demand issues. Not going to be cheap, but where are the lines in Sosua pressurized? POP? Isn't that where the water is coming from?

It doesn't take much to disable a water system with user neglect. Even 100 minor leaks at two gallons a minute and you're talking about 2 million gallons of wasted water a week. There are prob far more than 100 leaks in Sosua with many of them more than just a running toilet.


And here lies one of the primary issues in the NC. Lack of storage and using a series of electric pumps to keep up demand and pressure. Proper storage towers would reduce outages significantly. However, with so many users not paying for water, it does make it extremely difficult to float the bonds necessary to finance building infrastructure.
 

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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And here lies one of the primary issues in the NC. Lack of storage and using a series of electric pumps to keep up demand and pressure. Proper storage towers would reduce outages significantly. However, with so many users not paying for water, it does make it extremely difficult to float the bonds necessary to finance building infrastructure.

very good observations about the situation here. the public has been nurtured into a condition where they receive too much free stuff, and that is because no political party wants to be the bad guy by demanding that people pay for anything. that is why there are laws against stealing electricity, but nobody goes to jail, because it will take away the political capital of the people who insist on doing the right thing. the same applies to water. in the caribbean, there is a thing known as the "water rate" . that is the amount you pay to the water company, if you are connected to public supplies. you stop paying, you get no water. many people simply instal roof gutters, and collect water from rain runoff. i have never seen a gutter here. so, what you have is a bunch of people expecting free water, and a water supply operation that does not have the financial resources to upgrade the system.
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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many people simply instal roof gutters, and collect water from rain runoff. i have never seen a gutter here.

I've seen many in the campo. But that is because they are not served by a water company.
 

Lobo Tropical

Silver
Aug 21, 2010
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Easy

Seems pretty straight forward to me.

1) Dig a hole to the aquifer
2) Install a pump
3) Pump the water

When surface sources dry up, switch on the bomba. When rain replenishes the reservoirs, turn it off.

You have a lot of easy solutions on residency and water.
Easy for a Canadian retiree with money and education.
Unfortunately many are not part of this category, especially the local population.
 

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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You have a lot of easy solutions on residency and water.
Easy for a Canadian retiree with money and education.
Unfortunately many are not part of this category, especially the local population.

i was tempted to say the same, but you saved me the broadband. thanks.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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Lobo, I was suggesting that the local or provincial government might consider this as an avenue of recourse. I was not suggesting it as an individual solution, but yes having your own well would ensure you have water. Since water is the #1 necessity of life I would expect that to be a priority over a jeepetta or a tankard of grog. As for the impoverished locals, how much could a couple of communal wells cost. Surely a small town or local community could raise sufficient pesos for a standby well or two.

Throwing up your arms and proclaiming the situation unacceptable but taking no direction action to resolve it will never accomplish anything.

I am sure that if approached, some of us "rich gringos" would consider donating to a local water project if the planning and goals were sound. We after all, benefit from the improvement of our own communities.

You can drop the sarcasm anytime.
 

donP

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Dec 14, 2008
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Few Pay

I am sure that if approached, some of us "rich gringos" would consider donating to a local water project if the planning and goals were sound.

Don't count me in... because of the IF...

I live near a village where as soon as a communal water faucet is installed, it is gone the next morning.
Whenever there is water, the village people waste it como loco.
Whenever there is no water, they blame the government.
Of course, nobody pays for the water.

Wherever a gringo drills a well, INAPA is quick to charge for 'their 'water.


donP
 
Lobo, I was suggesting that the local or provincial government might consider this as an avenue of recourse. I was not suggesting it as an individual solution, but yes having your own well would ensure you have water. Since water is the #1 necessity of life I would expect that to be a priority over a jeepetta or a tankard of grog. As for the impoverished locals, how much could a couple of communal wells cost. Surely a small town or local community could raise sufficient pesos for a standby well or two.

Throwing up your arms and proclaiming the situation unacceptable but taking no direction action to resolve it will never accomplish anything.

I am sure that if approached, some of us "rich gringos" would consider donating to a local water project if the planning and goals were sound. We after all, benefit from the improvement of our own communities.

You can drop the sarcasm anytime.

You seem to know all the answers and don't even live here yet!
 

drSix

Silver
Oct 13, 2013
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But because many people do not want to pay their bills

Not for lack of trying on our part. We moved into our house two months ago. We went to pay the water bill for the first month we were here, and were told it hasn't been paid in years. "We" owe RD$43,000 for the house we just moved into. They would not accept the payment for the months we have lived here. It was all or nothing. I tried to give them money, they wouldn't take it. Our rental agent says, that's normal. So, we won't be paying our water bill.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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Does this not sound identical to the electricity situation here? Losses in the lines, poor supply and many people not paying. Deja vu all over again.
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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It would be intresting to know "how" dr1'ers pay their water.......

We pay a fixed sum. 150 pesos a month. Other expats ( mainly santiago ) are suprised....... they actually have a water meter and pay for consumption.
How is it in PoP? Sd? Sosua ?

Our system sux for the poor, because of course even if I am careful with water ( and use a lot of rain water ), I am pretty sure I use much more than the average campisino. Garden, cistern, tinacoa, pool, bomba ( for pressure for the shower from time to time /////ahhhh blisss ).

If u have a "casa de ricco" , ie anything more than a tin shack or wooden hut, u pay 150 pesos, otherwise 100 pesos. ENOURmOUS diffrence.......
And they WILL cut ure water off if u dont pay ( after a couple of months ).