The Ministry of Environment has announced the development of two important projects – a water treatment plant and solid waste collection nets — that are expected to free the Ozama and Isabela rivers of contamination by 2018.
Environment Minister Francisco Domínguez explained that a water treatment plant is being installed that will process effluents from a geographical area that encompasses 400,000 people. He said that this water treatment plant would go into service next year and put an end to the dumping of raw sewage into these rivers.
The cleanup plan is part of a public-private inter-institutional process in coordination with the city governments of the National District and Santo Domingo province.
Dominguez made the announcement during a meeting of environmental management corporations that was organized by the Center for Farm Development (FEDA) at the Barna Business School. Also participating in the activity were the vice president of the Dominican Republic Association of Industries (AIRD) Circe Almanzar; the director of the Japanese International Agency for Cooperation (JICA), Akihito Yamata, and Ginny Heinsen from the 3Rs Project for Sustainability (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle).
Also contributing to the cleanup of the rivers is the Castor Operation, carried out by the Fundación Farach, the Ministry of Environment, the Dominican Armada (Navy) and the Waste Free Oceans Foundation (WFO). This project seeks to collect solid wastes that float on the Ozama and Isabela rivers. Large collection nets are being used, and separate efforts for the separation and categorization of final disposal of the wastes are part of the pilot program.
Metales Antillanos has facilitated their installations as the operation’s base and Air Caraibes has donated the transfer of the nets and the instructors from Europe to Santo Domingo. ET Heinsen has contributed warehousing.
Others participating in the project are the city government of Santo Domingo North that is collaborating with the management of the recovered wastes and the Pedro Henríquez National University (Unphu) that will be carrying out scientific research as part of their academic programs.
The key officers of this project are the Minister of Environment Francisco Domínguez Brito; Armada commander, Miguel Enrique Peña Acosta; the president of the Fundación Farach, Matilde Argentina Cruz; the president of the Waste Free Oceans foundation, Ingeborg Suzanna Demyttenaere, commodore of the Dominican Naval Auxiliaries, Armando D’Alessandro.
Read more in Spanish:
El Nacional
El Dia
22 November 2017
