Silvio Carrasco and F?lix Garc?a signed a series of accords that will establish 83 river-watch committees along some of the most important waterways of the Dominican Republic. Carrasco, as head of INDRHI, and Garc?a, the head of the Santiago Development Association, signed the RD$6.933-million deal that will oversee the Yaque del Sur, the Yaque del Norte, and the Higuamo during the initial phases, and, later, over the Yuna, the Bajabonico and the Y?sica rivers. Carrasco said that the DR is the second poorest country in resources of water in Latin America, followed only by Haiti. He indicated that the country loses 50% of all rainfall, while in Haiti the loss is rated at 89%. Carrasco concluded his remarks by saying that there were several things needed to be done: The first was to save water and teach people how to consume water efficiently. The second was to avoid the contamination of water sources. The third was to effect the reforestation of the mountains and watersheds. The fourth was to re-educate the population in order to accept the construction of dams as the only way out and give the Dominican Republic a reliable source of water for future generations.