Reservoirs that supply Greater Santo Domingo are at critical levels

SANTO DOMINGO. With the Jigüey system at only 3% of its useful supply capacity, and that of Valdesia at 11%, two of the systems that supply most of the water for Greater Santo Domingo are at critical levels. The director of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (Indrhi), Olgo Fernandez, entrusted to God and the rains in the forecast for the weekend, his hope that the water crisis that affects the country improves in the next few days.

"The only thing we can do is ask God for rain," said Fernandez, who revealed that in the rest of the country the levels of the reservoirs are at 34.84%, a reduction of 0.01% with respect to the previous week, but he stressed the state of the systems that supply Santo Domingo, San Cristobal and Bani.

The situation in general is "manageable" and activities linked to irrigation and generation can be continued, together with human consumption, according to what Fernandez said, but the worry continues with regard to the reservoirs that were mentioned.

The director of the Water and Sewer Corporation of Santo Domingo (CAASD), Alejandro Montas, said that the current levels are "critical" and he announced that in case the crisis gets worse they have prepared and adjusted plan of distribution for water.

Rains over the weekend

Meteorologist Luis Felipe Jerez reported that they expect that starting on Friday the effects of the tropical depression located along the arc of the Lesser Antilles reach the country somewhat weakened and more like a trough, giving rains on Friday and Saturday. The rains are expecte to be in the order of 40 mm.

In the same order, he said that a tropical wave will be touching the island on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week. "We expect that next week conditions will be such as to alleviate the need for water," said Jerez.

Nonetheless, the director of the National Meteorological Office (Onamet), Gloria Ceballos, pointed out that the effects of El Niño "have the models indicating that for the coming months the rains are expected to be some 35% to 40% below normal levels, which means that the months of August and September will have this situation."

Inapa supplies with trucks

The director of the National Institute of Water and Sewers (INAPA), Alberto Holguin, reported that the institution has contracted more than 100 tank trucks at some RD$100,000 a month per unit, to supply water. In the case of Miches, the water is 100% spent; San Cristobal is at 50%, which is a large community, the same as Bani; San Juan is at 40%, in the Southwest at 30%, and in the East at 30%," he said. Inapa presented yesterday its version of the latest Institutional Emergency Plan.

Diario Libre