Ministry of Environment sanctions companies for illegal aggregate extraction in San Cristóbal

Santo Domingo.- The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has initiated sanctions against two companies for the unauthorized extraction of aggregates near approximately 345,000 KVA electrical transmission towers in the Lucas Díaz community of Yaguate, San Cristóbal.

The Vice Ministry of Soil and Water reported that its technicians conducted an on-site investigation, revealing that the companies Alba Sánchez and CAEI-Industrias Bisonó were illegally extracting materials.

Operations by these companies have been halted by prosecutors from the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Defense of the Environment and Natural Resources (Proedemaren).

In a statement, the Ministry of Environment disclosed that Soil and Water technicians determined that the companies presented an operating permit issued by the ministry, which pertained to an area located five kilometers away from the actual extraction site where the investigation was conducted, in collaboration with the National Environmental Protection Service (Senpa).

“The companies must assume responsibility for the environmental damage caused in the affected areas, and the case will be forwarded to the Electric Transmission Company (ETED) for appropriate action,” stated the Vice Ministry of Soil and Water.

The Ministry of Environment’s technicians confirmed that the unauthorized operations were compromising the protection and safety zones associated with electrical transmission projects.