Diversion of the Masacre River will cause ecological damage to the border, according to expert

Santiago.- Engineer Hamlet Otañez, the former director of the Santiago Aqueduct and Sewer Corporation (CORAASAN), has expressed concerns about the potential ecological damage caused by building a dam to contain the waters of the Masacre River, where Haitians are constructing a canal.

Otañez emphasized that the Haitian canal project is situated above the river’s natural level, which could necessitate the construction of a dam to redirect the river’s waters into the channel. He cautioned that if this is not controlled, it could result in the entire river flow being channeled into the canal, which could be problematic given concerns about the Haitians’ management of aquifer sources.

During an interview on the program “Lo Nuevo” hosted by journalists Santiago González and Laridys Zapata on Channel 25, Otañez stressed that the use of the Masacre River should be a matter of agreement between both countries. He pointed out that the ecological and economic damage associated with the proposed project would have a severely negative impact on the border area, making it unacceptable.

Otañez also highlighted the potential danger to Dominican and Haitian communities, as well as CODEVI companies in Juana Méndez, if the proponents of the Haitian Canal project continue without addressing the concerns surrounding the canal’s impact on the tributary.