Dominican Republic’s water fixes will cost US$8.65B to 2036

Santo Domingo.– Economy Minister, Miguel Ceara Hatton, yesterday cited 15 worrying facts about the water situation in the Dominican Republic, before presenting a solution: an investment plan until 2036 for an estimated US$8.65 billion, supported by a national pact for water and a state policy.

The diagnosis he cited is discouraging: only 26% of households receive water for 24 hours; 84% of the homes have toilets and only 20% are connected to the sewer system; and between 50% to 60% of the service is lost due to the poor condition of the water conduction and distribution grids.

Moreover 95% of the wastewater is discharged without treatment, more than 60% of the water used in agriculture is wasted, the valleys have been salinized and the quality of the water stored in the dams degraded due to lack of treatment of the wastewater, among other dire realities.