Minister of Environment Francisco Domínguez Brito envisions water issues to become the most serious conflict the Dominican Republic will have with Haiti. He said he has pending a visit to speak to the Haitian authorities over the issue. In an interview with Diario Libre, Domínguez Brito said that Haiti has only two important rivers that are Artibonito and Macasia and both have their source in the Dominican Republic.
He said that Port-au-Prince is a 3.5-million inhabitant city that sources its water from underground wells. But at present there are no sewage treatment plants and in 10-20 years this will become a very serious problem.
He explained that Haiti has only one dam, the Peligre, built by the US government some 60 years ago that receives water from the Macasia and Aritonito rivers, but that is affected by erosion. The Artibonito is the longest river on the island of Hispaniola – its source central mountain range in the Dominican Republic and flows into the Gonaive Gulf in Haiti.
He said that something radical has to be done to protect the Masaia and Artibonito rivers. He also sees the need to protect the Peligre dam that sources its water from the Macasia and Artibonito rivers and also produces energy for Haiti.
He says that is a possible solution is the construction of an aqueduct for Haiti. He said Haiti currently cannot afford a desalinization plant, nor is it certain that cost effective technological advances in desalinization will ever be an option for the system.
Dominguez Brito said that even for the Dominican Republic the two most crucial issues are water and deforestation. He says the Ministry is working on a Reforestation Plan 2016-2020, with its impact mostly to be seen in 10-15 years. He said that more than RD$6 billion in investments in reforestation and agroforestry products in San Jose de Ocoa, Independencia, Bahoruco, Azua, San Juan de la Maguana and Barahona will be required.
Dominguez-Brito told Diario Libre: “It is the most ambitious project in the history of the country and calls for the reforestation of more than 740,000 tareas (1 tarea= 629 square meters) and the planting of more than 90 million trees. Of these more than 30 million are endemic and wood-producing and the others produce crops such as avocado, coffee and cacao.
He says the most critical areas they will be intervening are in Hondo Valle, and Juan Santiago in the Elías Piña province on the border with Haiti.
Dominguez Brito explained that the country has kept a good pace in conservation of some areas and incorporated others, but the problem is complex. He stressed the difficulties of sharing the island with Haiti, where 98% of the land is deforested. He said this makes for the need for the Dominican authorities to work for the environmental welfare of both countries.
Speaking of climate change, he said that droughts that have affected the country are worse than the floods. But he said the best protection is to ensure the forest cover of the mountains. “There is no dam, no wall that can have a better effect than dense forestry in the mountains,” he said.
Referring to the Bahoruco Mountain Range, Dominguez highlighted that very strong economic interests prey on the mountain range. “There are very powerful people there with lots of interests, but it must be understood that deterioration of the Bahoruco Mountain Range is unacceptable, no matter the wealth of those opposing our conservation measures,” he said. He highlighted that the state needs to be strong and not desist because it has the political power. “When a decision is taken, it needs to be complied with, be it in Los Haitises or Valle Nuevo,” he said. He said the decision that needs to be taken will undoubtedly cause disruption in certain sectors. But no one sector’s private interest is more important than it the state’s.
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Diario Libre
17 October 2017
