Companies fined RD$4.0M for damages to riverbed

Santo Domingo.- The Environment Ministry on Thursday announced fines for two companies that ravaged part of the banks of Jatubey river, in Monseñor Noel province (central).

It said the companies Plaza Comercial Sabana del Puerto, owned by Domingo García, and Comercial Transvas, owned by Juan Francisco Vásquez, must of immediately restore the damages to the river.

Environment Resolution 01/02-2014 fines Plaza Comercial Sabana del Puerto RD$2.5 million for damages to a one kilometer stretch of the Jatubey, while Comercial Transvas must pay RD$1.5 million for using a backhoe to extract aggregates from the same stretch of the riverbed.

"We will continue firm and working tirelessly to protect our natural resources and Dominican Republic’s environment," Environment said in a statement.