Restoration of Upper Basin of the Macasía River Benefits Border Communities

Restoration of Upper Basin of the Macasía River Benefits Border Communities
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 12/20/2011

Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Ernesto Reyna, underscored the potential of the restoration of the upper basin of the Macasía River and its impact on the communities of Matas de Farfán, El Cercado, Juan Santiago, El Llano, Comendador, and others that depend on this important border aquifer.

He said the objective of the “Environmental Rescue Project of the Macasía River Basin Project” is to improve living conditions and the environmental situation of the communities and their inhabitants who reside in that area.

He said the objective of the “Environmental Rescue Project of the Macasía River Basin Project” is to improve living conditions and the environmental situation of the communities and their inhabitants who reside in that area.

This protection, rescue and sustainable development initiative involving the basin of this important border aquifer is of vital importance to the country and particularly to the municipalities around it that are being impacted. More than 18 million pesos have been invested in this project.

The joint activities being developed for the project will directly benefit more than 3,635 families, or to 23,186 residents, in the towns of Pedro Santana, Bánica and Restauración. Indirectly the project will have a favorable impact on more than 3 million people among the Haitian population from the Valle de Gonaives who are using the water of the Upper River Macasía for agriculture, human consumption and to generate electricity.

During a visit to the area where this Dominican-Taiwanese initiative is underway, Minister Reyna Alcántara said that, at the moment, more than 100 homes have been repaired for the same number of families out of a total of 300 that are scheduled to be repaired under the plans foreseen in the project. They have built doors, bathrooms, windows and roofs in these homes.

In addition, some 132,900 trees have been planted. Some of the species include Caribbean Pine, Cedar, Oak, Palm Heart, Creole Mahogany, Tamarind and Ceiba trees in an area of 204 acres.

Over the course of the project, so far, five reforestation brigades have been formed from the National Quisqueya Verde Plan. Each brigade has ten members from the impacted towns and communities, thus creating “green” jobs.

Other achievements of the project include the building of four fish farming tanks in the community of Las Dos Bocas de Macasía where the Ministry of the Environment released 16,000 young fish to contribute to the communities´ economic development.

The project also seeks to deal with the high levels of water contamination caused by the presence of fecal matter and clay dumped into the water due to a lack of basic plumbing  sanitary conditions and water erosion.