Gaspar Hernández (Espaillat). – The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, in coordination with the National Environmental Protection Service (SENPA), dismantled 18 huts during an inspection at Rogelio beach, Gaspar Hernández municipality, Espaillat province, which were built without environmental permits.
The buildings were located within 60 meters of high tide, in clear violation of the provisions of Laws 64-00 on the environment and natural resources and 305-68, which modifies Article 49 of Law 474 on communication routes.
Law 305-68 prohibits all types of construction within 60 meters of high tide without prior evaluation and authorization for the execution of the project. This protects ecological integrity and the functioning of marine ecosystems, as well as preventing the destruction of coastal landscapes.
The action is part of the Environment’s commitment to continue with the recovery and protection of the spaces that comprise the maritime-terrestrial or coastal public domain assets, so that they are not subject to destruction, degradation, damage, disturbance, contamination, inappropriate modification, reduction or drainage, as indicated in said regulations.
Brian Lara, from the Environmental Oversight Department, during the inspection carried out together with Leonel Tirado, from the Vice Ministry of Coastal and Marine Affairs, pointed out that “of the two people who were interviewed and notified, both lack environmental authorization to build such infrastructure there.”
In this regard, he stressed that the Environment is the entity authorized to validate all types of construction in maritime areas, after complying with the procedures and the due technical evaluation, regardless of any document that is not issued by the institution.
The technician warned that the Ministry of the Environment will continue surveying the area to notify people who are occupying the protection zone without authorization, who will be referred to the Specialized Attorney’s Office for the Defense of the Environment to continue with the legal process.
The operation was also attended by the Northern Regional Director of the Ministry of Tourism, Atahualpa Paulino; the Regional Deputy Director III of SENPA, the Colonel of the Dominican Army, Leonardo Rosario; the Commander of the Dominican Navy in the area, José Marte Matías; the Director of the Northern Regional Office of the Tourist Police (Politur) based in Samaná, Captain Miguel Guzmán Jiménez and environmental technicians from the Municipal Environmental Directorate in Gaspar Hernández.
