Nation’s most important river is running out of water
The Yaque del Norte (the North Yaque River) serves six provinces in the north-central part of the Dominican Republic. In 2006, the National Institute of Water Resources (INDRHI) presented its Water Resources Plan, a series of studies on the water resources of the country, and projections regarding the availability and demand for water. According to the plan, the demand for water at the time was 93% compared to availability. For 2020, the projection was for 103.43%, in other words, a deficit of water facing demand.
According to Jose Raul Perez, the technical advisor on international cooperation for INDRHI and the former director of planning between 2009-2013, official agencies have not addressed the needs of the growing industry and population.
He said: “What is coming is that we are going to go from a latent crisis to an imminent crisis.”
The Yaque del Norte watershed is the most important water source in the Dominican Republic. It covers 7,053 km2, 14.6% of the national territory, and affects 40 municipalities directly, in six provinces in the Central and Northwest Cibao Valley. The river feeds the two largest irrigation areas in the country.
There is a disproportion in the use of water from the different watersheds, meaning that there is little or no sense of economy or long-term vision in its daily use. Based on data published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Dominican Republic uses the most water per capita in all Central American and the Caribbean. The local rate is 700 m3 (177,800 gallons) per year per person. 80% of the water goes to agricultural production.
Therein lies one of the challenges for the country: How to reduce water consumption in the countryside.
New technologies may help mitigate the situation, such as pressurized irrigation systems. While these have proved to be very efficient, there has been strong resistance on the part of most farmers. It is also true that many of the technological innovations have not been partnered with technicians to help and guide in the proper use of the new systems. There is no doubt that more technology will help in the better use of the available water.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Sep 2, 2019
Category: DR News |