A mission from the Organization of American States (OAS) visited on Monday, 16 October 2023, to review information at the Ministry of Foreign Relations regarding the impasse with Haiti over the construction of waterworks on the Masacre River in Haiti. The mission is here to prepare a report for the secretary general of the OAS, Luis Almagro.
Jean Michel Arrighi, Secretary of Legal Affairs of the OAS leads the delegation. Another mission member is Andrés Sánchez, from the Secretariat of Comprehensive Development.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations reported that Arrighi and Sanchez met with officials from Dominican government agencies and local environmentalists. Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez gave an overview of the situation and highlighted the significant social, economic and environmental impacts the canal under construction would have in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
“The management of water and associated natural resources directly impacts the agricultural and fishing communities that depend on the river, the Saladillo Lagoon and other wetlands for their livelihood,” said Álvarez.
He said the visiting mission provides an invaluable platform to address these issues equitably and objectively, guided by a commitment to strengthening peace and cooperation in the region.
He stated that the government hopes that this process “can lead to a solution that considers the concerns of both nations.
At the meeting, technicians from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDHRI) and the National Institute of Drinking Water and Sewage (INAPA) offered explanations about the flood risks of the Haitian construction and the characteristics of the water intakes that the Republic has.
Participating in this meeting on behalf of the Dominican delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Relations were the Dominican ambassador to the OAS, Josué Fiallo; the director of the DR-Haiti Bilateral Joint Commission, Julio Ortega Tous; ambassador Miguel Pichardo; the director of Border and Limits, Rafael Taveras; the director of Strategic Studies and Analysis, Anselmo Muñiz; the Legal Director, Boni Guerrero; and advisor Emil Chireno.
Also participating was the executive director of INAPA, Wellington Arnaud, also participated; the Vice Minister of Agriculture, Eulalio Ramírez; the Vice Minister of the Environment, René Mateo; the director of the National Geographic Institute, Bolívar Troncoso; the director of Risks and Natural Disasters of the Ministry of the Presidency, Mario Grullón; and directors of the Cartographic Institute. Also present were the geologist Osiris De León, and the environmentalist Luis Carvajal from the Academy of Sciences and Environment of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD).
President Luis Abinader said during his weekly press conference on Monday, 16 October 2023, that if the Haitians continue with the construction of the waterwork to divert the waters of the Dajabon/Masacre River, the Dominican government has the La Vigia Canal that guarantees water for Dominican farms and for the Haitian farms that are located on the southern part of the river.
The impasse occurred after Haitians resumed construction of a waterwork that would divert the waters of the Dajabon/Masacre River on the two km it passes through Haiti before continuing on the other 53 km into the Dominican Republic. The river is born in the Dominican Republic and flows for around 55 km, including two km in Haiti. Local experts say the waterwork as contemplated could overflow and cause a catastrophe affecting farms in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic and the Codevi manufacturing complex that employs around 19,000 Haitian workers.
Diario Libre editorialist Benjamin Morales writes that the Masacre River has unified the people in Haiti. He says that it is the very wealthy that control Haiti and these have used the Masacre excuse to further control the people of Haiti.
The OAS mission is scheduled to visit the border on Tuesday, 17 October 2023.
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El Dia
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
17 October 2023