Dominican Republic and Spain collaborate on National Water Quality Monitoring Network

Santo Domingo.- Olmedo Caba Romano, the executive director of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI), hosted a meeting with the Spanish Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Antonio Pérez-Hernández y Torra, to discuss the establishment of the National Water Quality Monitoring Network. This significant project aims to enhance resource management by measuring both the quantity and quality of water, ensuring water security for the country.

INDRHI’s leader conveyed their commitment to optimizing water resources in the agricultural and drinking sectors, aligning with the goals of the project that will impact the entire population of 10,500,000 inhabitants. He emphasized that the program is in line with the National Development Strategy 2030 and the National Pact for Water 2021-2036.

The Spanish ambassador highlighted the project’s substantial impact on the country, considering the population’s sensitivity to water-related issues. The total investment for the project is €$2.5 million, with 20% being a counterpart from the Dominican government and the rest funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) through its Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation (FCAS). These funds will be allocated for personnel training, equipment acquisition, and participatory management involving various social actors.

The project, focused on promoting public, integrated, and participatory management of water resources, includes strengthening the water collection, monitoring, and analysis system. To this end, the parties inspected the facilities of the Center for the Sustainable Management of Water Resources in the Caribbean Island States (CEHICA), a laboratory under INDRHI. This facility will be equipped with innovative tools and mobile laboratory units to expand water quality monitoring.

The meeting involved Manuel Alba Cano, the coordinator of Spanish cooperation in the country, and specialist Alejandro López Terán, alongside INDRHI’s directors of Water Planning and Institutional Planning, Raúl Pérez, and Juan Saldaña, respectively.