Final repairs underway on Cibao Central aqueduct after major pipe rupture

Sabana Iglesia.- The Santiago Water and Sewerage Corporation (Coraasan) and the National Institute of Drinking Water and Sewerage (Inapa) reported that they are in the final phase of work to permanently repair the rupture in the intake pipe of the Cibao Central aqueduct, a key system supplying drinking water to Santiago and Moca. The current stage includes bolting and welding the pipeline, followed by reinforcing it with a concrete layer to ensure long-term stability and durability. Once completed, water service will be gradually restored.

The rupture occurred at 11:20 a.m. on Thursday, December 25, in the community of La Zanja, Sabana Iglesia, Santiago province. In response, the Government declared a state of emergency and immediately deployed heavy machinery, technical specialists, and operational brigades from both institutions. President Luis Abinader has been kept informed of the situation and instructed authorities to expedite the work to restore water service as soon as possible.

Although no fatalities were reported, the incident forced the shutdown of the Cibao Central and La Dura Moca aqueducts, affecting more than 800,000 residents in Santiago, Moca, and nearby communities. The damaged pipeline is one of the most strategic in the region, with a capacity of 5 cubic meters per second, equivalent to 115 million gallons of water per day. Meanwhile, Coraasan’s social management team, with support from other government agencies, has been assisting families impacted by the outage.