The Sub-Secretary of the Public Health Ministry (SESPAS) responsible for the Southwest Region, Dr. Víctor Manuel Terreno Encarnación, is calling for the closure of the free trade zone (FTZ, or "zona franca" as they are known in the DR) in Batey Central, Barahona. Dr. Terreno Encarnación has asked the Industrial Promotion Corporation (Corporación de Fomento Industrial CFI) to close the FTZ because its untreated industrial wastewater are causing serious environmental damage to the surrounding area and badly polluting the Caribbean Sea. [Since the FTZ in question is state-owned, CFI is the authority empowered by law to close it.] The effluents have killed most nearby fishing grounds. Dr. Terreno Encarnación said that the problem was raised last year with the Korean businessmen with operations in the Batey Central FTZ, and they had promised to construct a modern water treatment plant utilizing Japanese technology. This never occurred, he said. Instead, an inadequate facility was built that has improved the color of the effluents but not removed any of its harmful contaminants. Dr. Terreno Encarnación expressed regret that the FTZ must be closed, since it employs some 1,800 local women, but said he sees no alternative if the Korean companies do not agree to upgrade to a state-of-the-art treatment plant.
