President Hipolito Mejia was on hand for the initiation of the works to recover the Guajimia gully by building pluvial drainage systems through several slum neighborhoods in the province of Santo Domingo. The government of Canada is backing this project, which is expected to benefit 150,000 residents of the area. The endeavor is to be financed by commercial bank loans under the responsibility of the Santo Domingo Aqueduct and Sewage Corporation (CAASD), announced engineer Julio Suero Marranzini, the director of CAASD. The contract to refurbish the Guajimia Canal is worth a reported C$80 million, and is held by the Montreal-based Dessau-Soprin Inc.