There is an urgency to close the entire area of Los Haitises to human settlement as well as all agriculture according to the National Geological Service. The area is responsible for most of the drinking water in the eastern region of the Dominican Republic and is a natural water reserve.
The Los Haitises National Park is located in the northeast of the country and to the West and South of the Bay of Samana. The area runs roughly between the town of Sanchez in Samaná province on the north side of the Samaná and extends eastward to Sabana de la Mar in Hato Mayor province on the south side of the bay. The limestone hills and soils serve as sponges for water and there are many lagoons in the area.
The director of the NGS, Santiago Jose Muñoz Tapia, explained to reporters that at the rate that people are cutting down the rainforests in Los Haitises, and building houses, the underground waters could evaporate and leave large areas of the east without any drinking water. He said that there should be no type of human intervention in the area, with the exception of special tours for tourists and for studies.
He added that his agency is working closely with the University of Cartagena (Colombia) to analyze the quantity and quality of the water in the wetlands around the Ozama River. He also noted that the government of Japan has donated 10 seismographs that will be places in universities in Santiago, La Vega, Barahona, Santo Domingo, Jimani, and Dajabon as well as in other places.
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El Nacional
25 January 2018
