Puerto PlataThe felling of several trees and the removal of soil that left a ravine blocked, together with the irregular constructions in the protected area of Isabel de Torres hill, is described as an ecological crime by environmental sectors.
Lawyer and environmentalist Francisco Lantigua warned about the construction of a large building in the middle of the mountain’s forested area. Added to this are the land invasions and illegal constructions in the buffer zone of the Isabel de Torres mountain.
For years, developers with political and economic power have been building on the slopes of Loma Isabel de Torres, despite the fact that the mountain has triple legal protection as a national park, a scientific reserve and an area protected by a presidential decree.
For his part, Jhonny Tavárez, former president of the Association for the Development and Promotion of Puerto Plata, criticized the construction of a project without going through the city council.
Although the Ministry of the Environment responded to the complaint last Wednesday, reports of ecological damage are becoming more frequent.
The environmentalist said that this is the construction of warehouses by Chinese capital, which has not even respected the course of the aquifer that originates in Isabel de Torres.
Tavárez said that the ecological damage was committed on Manolo Tavárez Justo Avenue in San Felipe de Puerto Plata, where several trees were knocked down and a water source was damaged by the contractor of a project being built there. The provincial director of the Ministry of Public Health also questioned the Puerto Plata Environmental authorities for allowing that area to be intervened because a road would be built there to relieve vehicular traffic in the city.
