The Ministry of Environment has said the government has a policy of zero tolerance for aggregate extraction from river basins. The hope would be that efforts advance to make this statement a reality.
In December, Nuria Piera had presented evidence in a recent investigative TV program that the Ministry of Environment has to do much more. The aggregate mafias continue to be a major threat to water safety in the country, impacting people’s lives and future generations.
Nuria Investigacion presented evidence of the practice of extracting aggregate from the Nizao River that passes through the provinces of La Vega, Peravia, San Cristobal and San Jose de Ocoa. The Nizao River basin is located mostly in the southwest of the country and has an area of more than 1,000 km².
Nuria Piera shared the apparent modus operandi of the mafias that accumulate aggregate during the day for large trucks to pass in the evening to pick up the merchandise. The extraction is accomplished by heavy-duty equipment. The trucks are large, enabling huge loads.
Nuria Piera presented images of excavation and extraction equipment stored at the Police station in one of the river communities, Semana Santa in Peravia province. A policeman on site explained the equipment was used to extract material from the rivers.
The waters of the Nizao River are stored in three hydroelectric dams and a counter-reservoir and are used to produce on average 309.7 gigawatts hour of energy.
The damages are caused by the holes that divert the course of the river making the water run faster. The extractions reduce the water available for irrigation canals Nizao, Najayo and Marcos Cabral, used mainly for agriculture irrigation. They also reduce the capacity to control flooding when there are heavy rains and hurricanes.
N Investiga reported that the irregular extractions continue to impact the Yuna, Nagua, Haina and Nigua rivers, in addition to the Nizao. The impact makes the country more vulnerable to droughts.
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Ministry of Environment
N Digital
Ministry of Environment
23 January 2025