The explosion of a pipeline Cibao Central Aqueduct in Savannah Churchwhich left without water to more than 800 thousand people in the provinces of Santiago and Espaillat, uncovered concern and questions about whether the collapse It was a consequence of the deterioration of the pipes or deficiencies in the management of the system.
The affected infrastructure was built in 1994, when the city had a demographic and urban reality very different from today. However, specialists agree that an infrastructure of this type, with maintenance and appropriate adaptations, can achieve a superior lifespan at one hundred years old.
For Andres Burgosformer director of the Santiago Aqueduct and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan), the age of the system does not by itself explain the collapse.
“A concrete pipe, like the one affected, can last up to 200 years. What was exhausted was the production capacity compared to the demand of a city that grew faster than expected,” he maintains.
He emphasizes that during his administration (2020-2025) the system was taken out of operation on several occasions to scheduled maintenancesomething that, according to was not done since its construction in the 90s.
Burgos assures that in his administration and currently the aqueduct receives improvements with the support of the French Development Agencyespecially in purification processes in La Noriega.
A failure announced
But the case of Savannah Church presents a different scenario. Technicians and former officials agree that it was not an unforeseeable event.
The engineer Hamlet Otáñezwho directed Coraasan during 12 years in the governments of Leonel Fernández, affirms that residents of the area had been reporting leaks in a sensitive area for almost a year.
“When there is a leak in an adduction line that connects the Tavera dam with La Noriega, that is a sign of maximum alarm. That type of problem is addressed immediately,” he warned.
He explains that the leak not only caused a constant waste of waterbut also progressively weakened the ground that supported the pipeline, until causing the collapse total of the area. “In this case, the warning It was there, but the answer did not come on time”.
According to information provided, the Santiago Aqueduct and Sewer Corporation planned to begin repair work on the fault starting next January 10.
Silvio Duranalso former director of Coraasanmatches Otanez.
“There was carelessness. If they had carried out the intervention when the leaks began, the explosion could have been avoided”, he states.
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The recurring explosions In these sectors they have a clear technical explanation. According to Otanezwhen a bomb water is turned off, either due to electrical cuts or inappropriate maneuvers, generate a sudden increase in pressure that affects the low points of the system.
“The technology exists to avoid that. electronic systems soft start and dissipative valves pressure reduces the impact. If they are not applied, the system ends up breaking down,” he says.
The current secretary of water drinking and sanitation of the Fuerza del Pueblo says that it is not about expired pipes, but about poor operation.
Lack of control
After the construction of the Cibao Central Aqueduct Other infrastructures have been built and expanded: Nibaje, La Noriega II and the Cienfuegos and La Canela plants. Altogether, the installed capacity reaches some 6.35 cubic meters per second. According to OtanezWith normal loss levels, this production could supply 1.4 million people, a figure close to the population of Santiago.
A study of Coraasanpublished on their platforms, indicates that only 30% of users have micrometer.
“Of every ten users, seven consume without knowing how much they spend. They pay the same using little or a lot water“, details Otanez.
While Durán establishes that Santiago has the capacity to supply three million people, “but we barely reach one million for the amount of water that is lost.”
The contrast
Silvio Duran cites the case of Quito, capital of Ecuador, where an aqueduct with less installed capacity than Santiago, supplies three million inhabitants. It indicates that the difference is the total measurement of consumption. “When people know that they pay for what they consume, they take care of the water. Here there are sectors where the open keys because there are no consequences,” he points out.
Service restored
Coraasan The service was restored around midnight on Tuesday. water drinking water in Santiago and part of the Espaillat province, after being interrupted for five days due to the aforementioned explosion in the municipality Savannah Church.
The breakdown, which occurred on Thursday, December 25, caused the destruction of four homes and a section of the road that connects Savannah Church with the Baitoa municipality, in addition to affecting the supply of water at some 800 thousand people that are supplied by that system. Cueto explained that the restoration of service was possible after completing the 16 hours required for the drying of the concrete used in the repair of the line, after which the necessary tests and pumping began.
The current director of Coraasan, Andrés Cueto, recognizes that the Cibao Central Aqueduct system was conceived for a city that no longer exists. “There are sectors that did not exist when that aqueduct was built,” he admits. He assures that in the current administration, key plants have been rehabilitated, adding 16 million gallons per day. Likewise, he proposes structural solutions with the construction of a multiple aqueduct in San Francisco de Jacagua and the expansion of the La Barranquita water system, projects that, he says, will guarantee water for the next 20 years. Regarding Sabana Iglesia, he points out that the fault already existed when he took office in February 2025 and that the process was in the bidding phase for its repair. Regarding the explosions of the pipes in Bella Vista and La Barranquita, Cueto assures that these failures are matters of the past. He maintains that it was an obsolete pipe system that was already replaced during his management in 2025. Andrés Burgos, Hamlet Otáñez, Silvio Durán and Andrés Cueto, with whom Free Diary spoke separately, they have run the Santiago Aqueduct and Sewer Corporation for the last 20 years.
