Bahoruco flooding highlights chronic neglect in Dominican Republic

Rafael Méndez, president of the Padrino Foundation for Education and Development and former deputy, has called on the Dominican government to address chronic neglect in the Bahoruco province. He warned that failure to act could lead to a major tragedy following a recent surge of the Barrera River.

The flooding blocked the bridge connecting Los Ríos to Las Clavellinas, isolating several communities. Méndez noted that the province faces cyclical threats from rivers and runoff originating in higher elevations, which can flood towns even without local rainfall.

He highlighted that dredging and gabion projects for the Barrera River have been stalled for over two years due to pending permits from the Ministry of Environment. Méndez urged the implementation of a national hydraulic adaptation plan to prioritize Bahoruco, stating that future catastrophes would be the result of administrative inaction rather than natural surprises.