President of the Senate Jesus Vasquez Martinez announced that a US$54-million credit was obtained from Israel for the construction of the Nagua aqueduct in the province of Maria Trinidad Sanchez and that separate funding of US$45 million from Denmark would finance Nagua’s sewage drainage system. The works would be completed over a two-year period, according to a report in El Caribe. Vasquez recently accompanied President Mejia on his trip to Israel, where it was reported that the President had dinner at the home of Israeli businessman, Yosef A. Maiman, the purported sponsor of the projects. According to the Israeli company’s website, Merhav is already carrying out “a $100-million project in the Dominican Republic sponsored by INAPA – Dominican’s National Institute of Potable Water and Sanitation, and supported by leading world financial entities, to provide a large area with an advanced potable water system, providing modern sewage and treatment facilities.”
The Merhav Group describes itself as specializing in emerging economies and states that projects worth US$3 billion are being carried out and additional projects worth US$5 billion are being assessed.