The water sector authorities are in agreement in saying that, at least for the next five decades, the Dominican Republic will not face shortages or “Hydraulic stress” in the national aquifers. The challenges have more to do with distribution problems and people’s wastefulness. Almost 50% (49.3%) of the water supplied to the National District and the province of Santo Domingo – home to 40% of the country’s total population of nearly 10 million – comes from the Haina, Ozama and Isabela rivers, and 24.8% comes from wells.<\/p>\n
Each year the supply capacity of these systems suffers the effects of the period of low rainfall, which begins in mid-December and lasts until April. The country is currently halfway through this period. Of all the water that is sent to consumers, domestic consumption takes 65%, non-domestic use gets 34% and municipal or collective use gets 1%. However, Diario Libre also notes that the CAASD says that 55% of all the water supplied is wasted and that only a small percentage of people pay for their water usage, about 13% overall.<\/p>\n
The deputy minister for Soils and Water at the Ministry of the Environment, Jose Alarcon Mella, points out: “The fact that protected areas such as La Humeadora and the Green Belt – of Santo Domingo – exist will guarantee the sustained preservation of the forest cover in the watersheds of the rivers that supply the aqueduct of Santo Domingo.” These conditions, accompanied by a maintenance policy of the intake valves and the sustainable soil and water management, will allow “supply capacity to be maintained for more than forty or fifty years.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The water sector authorities are in agreement in saying that, at least for the next five decades, the Dominican Republic will not face shortages or “Hydraulic stress” in the national aquifers. The challenges have more to do with distribution problems and people’s wastefulness. Almost 50% (49.3%) of the water supplied to the National District and … <\/p>\n