North region rivers languish as amber fever spreads

Santiago.- The amber mining fever spreading throughout villagesat the Septentrional (Northern) Range has started drying up several rivers and theextraction is harming affects farms, while foreign investors in the semipreciousstone recruit Dominicans to acquire land to exploit.

Environmentalist Nelson Bautista says the flow of the Jacagua,Gurabo, Palo Quemado and the San Francisco de Yásica and Yaroa rivers thatemanate from the mountains have been reduced.

José Miguel Dominguez, one of the locals jeopardized by amberextractions, complained that even backhoes have trespassed on his land, andsaid Palmar Limpio, Los Higos, La Cumbre and Palo Quemado are the most affectedcommunities.

“Chinese and German businessmen are coming to this area whooffer money to farm owners to allow them to extract amber, and so severalrivers have been affected," said Dominguez, quoted by elcaribe.com.do.

On the span called La Ruta del Ambar (Amber Road)extractions in the area have led to cleared woods, while the Environment Ministryhas yet to intervene.

Fatalities

In Palo Alto and other towns the rudimentary extraction foramber prevails, claiming at least five fatal victims in less than two years.

E; Caribe recently reported the devastation at the Yásica riverfrom the extraction of aggregates and cattle ranching, despite that its waterssupply Puerto Plata province aqueducts.

Mining In the area between Puerto Plata and Santiago hasalso dried up several streams, leading to dwindled flows to some aqueducts.