Rains, work on dam wreak havoc on Dominican Republic’s arid south

The municipalities Peñón and Cabral are practically cut off as the latest downpours washed out several spans of the highway which links them, snarling traffic on the important route at the heart of the usually arid South region.

Also flooded are several banana plantations and crops such as cassava, sweet potato among others, which means a hard blow for farmers and cattle ranchers in both towns.

The rains in the last weeks, mainly San Juan province, forced the opening of the floodgates at the dam in Sabaneta, venting large amounts of water from the South Yaque river, which supplies the Cabral lagoon as well, and the recent floods.

Farmers of the zone said they await the government’s assessment of the flood damage to the region’s plantations, and on the repairs of the main road.

According to news source listin.com.do, the flooding results from the work on the Sabana Yegua dam by the contractor Andrade Gutiérrez, which also won the bidding to build the dam at Monte Grande, on the South Yaque river, and has yet to conclude the former’s existing drainage.

The farmers of the zone expect the authorities to look for ways to channel the South Yaque river and prevent future overflows, which result in important economic losses for the farmers and their families.


Source: Dominican Today

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