Despite numerous complaints and the river’s vital role in providing water to over 1.7 million Dominicans, including 40% of Greater Santo Domingo, the Nizao River in the Dominican Republic continues to be severely damaged by indiscriminate sand and gravel extraction.
A delegation from the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) visited one of the affected areas on World Environment Day (Thursday, 5 June 2025), echoing concerns raised by local leaders and the bishop of Baní, Ocoa, and San Cristóbal. The opposition politicians denounced the ongoing environmental depredation, with heavy machinery altering the river’s course and reducing it to trenches, while authorities remain inactive, as reported in Listin Diario.
The PLD’s environmental manifesto questions the government’s inaction, stating that the Nizao River, which spans over 1,000 square kilometers and irrigates around 14,000 hectares of agricultural land, is at risk due to illegal extractions occurring in broad daylight. The river also provides over 340 million cubic meters of water for hydroelectric power generation. Local officials and the bishop have criticized the harm caused by construction companies extracting materials daily, calling it an “attack” on the aquifer and demanding that the Ministry of Environment take action.
Despite these pleas and the river’s strategic importance, the extraction of sand and gravel persists, with recent reports of activity even in the river’s upper basin in Rancho Arriba, San José de Ocoa. The PLD urges the government to address this critical environmental issue before the Nizao River disappears entirely, taking with it a vital water source for the region.
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Listin Diario
9 June 2025