fish farmers of Hato Viejo, in the municipality of Guerra, have lost millions of pesos due to the overflow of the brujuelas riverwhich although it is underground, came to the surface during the rains left by Hurricane Fiona and flooded several communities.
It is an area located near the dent road towards San Pedro Macorís where the towns of El Limón, La Catalina, Hato Viejo I and II, Estorgan, La Garza and El Alto were also affected, but the greatest damage was caused in Hato Viejo.
Some of the houses were flooded, but their owners returned to them several days after the hurricane passed, however, in Hato Viejo II the river continues to flow along the main road.
Silvestre Manonpresident of the neighborhood council, explained to Free Journalwhich are around 15 fish farmers and that all of them lost their children due to the flooding of the river. Dozens of people have been dedicating themselves for several days to capturing the fish that the river drags when crossing the main road or in flooded areas such as the beach in the town of Hato Viejo.
He reported that seven years ago they experienced a similar situation, but that it is not often that the river rises to the surface and, when it does, it leaves several towns cut off and the tilapia breeding ponds are affected, taking all the production.
He stated that in his case he lost more than 600,000 pesos in four ponds where he had tilapias weighing half a pound, three quarters and even two pounds and all of them were carried away by the river, for which he requested the intervention of the authorities because they have only remained with debt commitments.
“These are projects financed by ourselves, we have debts, I owe around 400 thousand pesos and I lost everything, and as I am, there are many others, for what we request, we call on you to come to our aid, to the FEDA, that they come so that they can see the reality”Manon said.
Orquídea Rosario, stated that they are full of water because almost a week after the hurricane, the river continues to cross the road.
Both Rosario and Mañón reported that the main problem is that the river that crosses a very narrow sewer and that, when going down with so much water, it overflows and goes up the road, leaving several towns isolated.
ask for a bridge
They demanded the construction of a bridge so that when the river overflows it does not affect the residents of the different communities of Hato Viejo and other communities in the area.
Marino Castro is a councilor for the town of Hato Viejo for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) and says that the waters penetrated the houses in the Los Ramones, Los Jobos, Los Platanitos neighborhoods, apart from the most critical point, which is the entrance of Hato Viejo III.
He reported that some 16 families were sheltered in the multipurpose, but that they all returned to their homes because in that part the water dropped.
“The river is about 44 kilometers underground from Los Haitises to here, it comes to the surface in the area of Monte Plata-Bayaguana and comes and goes underground here at kilometer 36, La Bijía, from there it goes underground to Los Tres Ojos, it crosses the Mojarra bridge, floods a part of El Toro, a part of Guerra, the Batey de Santa Lucía and flows into Boca Chica,” he commented.
He indicated that when that river rises it is something problematic for the residents of the communities along its path, but luckily it does not happen very often because to come to the surface it has to rain a lot in the headwaters or basin.
