World Water Day finds the Dominican Republic with few achievements to celebrate in terms of access, sustainability and conservation of the valuable resource.
The diagnoses and projections of the situation and availability of water in the country are alarming, despite the large investment and government plans aimed at improving production and achieving a more equitable distribution of the vital liquid.
Although access to drinking water is a right enshrined in the Constitution, coming home and turning on the tap with guaranteed access is a “privilege” that only a little over half of the population has.
54% of households without water inside the house
To be more specific, in the national territory, 54% of households access water from the aqueduct inside the house, while 19.5% have access through the patio of the house and 11.9% do so through wells, reveals the 2018 Enhogar Survey.
However, in order to provide an efficient service, the Central Government allocates 5 billion pesos to the different providers of drinking water and sanitation services, specifies the National Commitment document for the Pact for Water 2021-2036.
However, the poorest population with the least access invests up to 11% of their income in the purchase of bottled water and other forms of supply, indicates the report presented in June of last year.
Meanwhile, 6 out of 10 Dominicans report having intermittent water service and between 45% and 82% of treated water becomes technical and commercial losses.
Meanwhile, the growing demand for water in the Dominican Republic is close to 58% of its availability, and in regions such as Yaque del Norte and Yaque del Sur it exceeds 100% of what is available.
water and sanitation
The reality in wastewater treatment is worse. “The low coverage of the sewage service has caused an accelerated deterioration in the quality of surface, underground and coastal marine water bodies, which results in a significant reduction in the availability of clean water,” it is highlighted in the base diagnosis. of the Pact for Water.
According to the document, only 10% of wastewater is collected by sewerage systems and less than 20% receives any type of treatment.
Ambitious plan seeks 100% coverage
The Pact for Water, a 15-year strategy, presented by the current government, contemplates the construction and financing of 58 new aqueducts and the rehabilitation of the existing ones. Also design and build nine dams for water storage in the Atlantic and Eastern hydrographic regions. Likewise, guarantee 100% coverage to the Dominican population in quantity, quality and timeliness of drinking water and sanitation services.
