Diario Libre published on 27 September 2023 a video showing heavy construction equipment, namely a backhoe, is now being used for the construction of the canal that would divert the waters of Masacre River in Haiti. The diverting of the waters has caused the most significant impasse between both countries as is remembered in recent history. As a result, the Abinader administration shut down air, sea and land crossings, and has said these will remained closed until the construction of the work is halted.
Diario Libre reports that according to versions gathered at the site, the machinery is intended to accelerate the pace of construction of the canal that seeks to divert all the water from the tributary as it passes through Haiti. The river begins in the Dominican Republic and then passes through Haiti for two kilometers before returning to the Dominican side of the island.
Local technicians say that the canal, as being built, if there are intense rains, flooding would occur that would damage agricultural lands on both sides of the river and is also a threat to the Codevi manufacturing complex on the Haitian side. This is in addition to reducing the amount of water for farming in the Dominican Republic.
The Masacre River begins in the Loma de Cabrera area in the Pico del Gallo mountain, and completes its course when it flows north into Manzanillo Bay. During its path, the tributary crosses the community of Ouanaminthe in Haiti, where the canal is under construction.
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Diario Libre
28 September 2023