Olgo Fernández assures Danilo Medina denied Haiti the diversion of the Masacre River three times

Santo Domingo.- The former director of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI), Olgo Fernández, has revealed that during the government of President Danilo Medina (2012-2020), the Dominican Republic rejected three separate requests from Haiti to use the water of the Massacre River.

Fernández specified that the first request from Haiti was made in 2013 when Andrés Navarro was the chancellor, followed by a second request in 2015, even though Navarro was still in the position. A third request was submitted in 2017 when Miguel Vargas Maldonado held the position of chancellor and documents related to these requests are currently stored in the chancery archives.

Fernández emphasized that the Massacre River is clearly Dominican in origin, originating in Loma de Cabrera and only briefly entering Haitian territory, approximately 500 meters from La Bomba point to the Codevi free zone before returning to Dominican territory and eventually reaching Manzanillo.

He also noted that the river has already been impacted by the removal of aggregate.

Regarding the Don Miguel dam project, Fernández expressed its potential benefits, explaining that it could help preserve a portion of the Massacre River’s water. Diverting the river’s course could have negative consequences, including the potential harm to the Saladilla Lagoon and damage to rice and agricultural production.

Fernández further revealed that during his tenure as director of INDRHI, his administration conducted preliminary studies for nine large dam projects aimed at conserving water resources in the Dominican Republic.