Despite the fact that in 2018 there was a deficit of water, according the director of the National Institute of Hydrological Resources (Indrhi), Olgo Fernández, there will be sufficient water in 2019 for human consumption, but not for agriculture. Looking at the situation of water for this year, he said that that the recently over hurricane season had been critical for the dams as only Hatillo and Sabaneta filled to the brim, and comparing 2018 to previous years, although there was a good deal of rain this year, it was not where the dams were located. Most rain fell in Greater Santo Domingo, San Cristóbal, Ocoa, Baní, Monte Plata and in the east of the country.
Fernandez said that this means that the water for rice planting has to be rationed in the areas of Santiago, Mao and Montecristi, as they depend on the dam complex of Tavera- Bao-López- Angostura. Given the situation, INDRHI has recommended to the Ministry of Agriculture, Banco Agrícola, Dominican Agrarian Institute, and Special Fund for Agricultural Development (FEDA), the associations of producers and the Irrigation Boards to take the water situation into consideration when planting. Normally, he said the rice planting began from 1 December, but they should be aware there would be a lack of water in the northwest, although there would be no issue in San Juan as the Sabaneta dam was discharging water for several days in October.
Fernandez advocates for the construction of more dams so more water can be available for agriculture. He says the country has 36 dams, the largest in Hatillo, but that the Sabana Yegua dam stores more as it does not discharge freely. He said that the country needs to invest to guarantee the provision of water for agriculture and human consumption. He observed that President Medina had begun the process with an investment of RD$22 billion in the Monte Grande dam and authorizations to build more smaller dams in La Pina, in Dajabón; El Salado, in Hatillo Palma; Samba and Carbonies in Santiago Rodríguez.
The Dominican Republic has 4.97 million tareas (a tarea is 628 square meters) of irrigated land and the actual availability of water is 2,302 million cubic meters of storage. INDRHI is proposing two million more tareas (1 tarea = 629 square meters) and the storage of water be increased to 3,500 million cubic meters.
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Diario Libre
4 December 2018
