Civil Defense (CD) authorities in Santiago de los Caballeros, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health and other institutions, have prohibited bathing in several traditional swimming areas in the area, for the purpose of protecting lives and the health of people looking to beat the heat during this coming Easter Week holidays. Easter Week began with schools off on Friday, 12 April and continue through Sunday, 21 April 2019.
Francisco Arias, the CD boss in Santiago, says that bathing in the reservoirs behind the Tavera, Bao and Lopez Angostura dams is prohibited, as is swimming in the area of the small dam of La Otra Banda. He noted that the areas where local creeks and streams feed into the Yaque River are off limits between Arroyo Hondo and Rafey. The area behind the dam at La Otra Banda is closed because of a high degree of contamination, and the irrigation canal Ulises Francisco Espaillat is closed because of the inherent dangers.
Nevertheless, swimming continues open to the general public in traditional places such as Las Charcas, Timbeque, and Arroyo Hondo. Bathers can enjoy the Siete Charcos, and El Tablon up in Pedro Garcia; La Ganga, El Pozo, Bao and the Pozo II in Janico, and there are five places to swim in the municipality of San Jose de las Matas.
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El Caribe
15 April 2019