A recent study by The Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic reveals that the building of the proposed Cibao-South highway that would cut through the Central Mountain Range is neither practical nor advisable. The field study found that building a highway through the mountain ranges would require cutting and there would be large movements of land, with the risk of landslides with sediments affecting the courses of the rivers and streams in the area, many of which feed the reservoirs of major dams. He mentioned the case of the Sabaneta Dam that generates 6.35 megawatts of power and irrigates 300,000 tareas of land. Other farm areas that would be affected include San Juan, Hato del Yaque, Sabaneta, La Maguana, and Juan de Herrera.
Environmentalist Eleuterio Martinez, who led the field work as a member of the Academy of Sciences, said that there is no way of crossing the Cordillera Central without irreversible damage to the country’s main water sources.
Jose Manuel Mateo, coordinator of the Academy of Sciences Natural Sciences commission and director of Biodiversity at the Ministry of Environment also participated in the study.
The report by the Academy of Sciences analyzed the four highway construction proposals that have been made public. The details of a fifth proposal, made by the Ministry of Public Works, are not known. The funds for the highway would come from the tolls.
Milciades Mejia, president of the Academy of Sciences, said the reports were sent to the ministries of Environment and Public Works for comments, but they have not received official responses from these.
President Danilo Medina has been a vocal supporter of the highway, announcing that construction would start this year.
Opponents to the highway construction say that the government would be better off repairing already existing alternative routes that connect the Cibao with the south.
There is speculation that the highway would open the way for mining activities in the mountain area.
www.diariolibre.com/noticias/2014/01/23/i451071_academia-ciencias-aconsejable-conveniente-construir-carretera-cibao-sur.html