Residents of Bayona in the province of Santo Domingo are sounding the alarm over the destruction of a large wetland, which they allege is being filled with excess materials from the construction of the 27 de Febrero and Isabel Aguiar overpass, N Digital reports.
Images captured by N Digital show numerous trucks dumping materials into the wetland, drying up most of its water and eradicating the local wildlife.
N Digital interviewed several community members who said:
“My name is Darío Rodríguez, and I’m the president of the Jardines de Engombe neighborhood association. We are deeply concerned about this situation, as people are collaborating to take over these lands,” said Rodríguez.
Rufino de Jesús, vice president of the association, added: “Right where we are standing, which was the first place I moved to in this area, used to be a lagoon. During Jaime David’s time as Minister of Environment, it was designated as a green area and he asked that the lagoon be protected.”
Olga Betances, a community member, expressed her fear for the future, stating: “When rivers and streams overflow and the water has nowhere to go, those of us who live downstream will be in danger of flooding.”
Zeneida Vólquez, the association’s secretary, emphasized that this is not the first time they have reported this issue to environmental authorities. “There are endemic species here that have been here longer than we have,” she said.
Francisco Bautista added: “If you come here and fish, you’ll see that there are fish and turtles. I used to have to get out of my car to check on it because there were some very large turtles. They have taken advantage of us.”
The construction of the road grid is funded by advance cash provided by the Las Americas International Airport concessionaire.
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N Digital
31 October 2024