Dominican Republic water projects funded by World Bank face low execution and delays

The opposition party Fuerza del Pueblo (FP) has warned that the main water‑sector modernization projects in the Dominican Republic financed by the World Bank, totalling about US$293.5 million, show very low execution. According to FP’s water‑services secretary Hamlet Otáñez, only 24.27 % of the US$250 million program allocated to institutions such as INAPA, CORAASAN and CORAAVEGA has been disbursed, and the World Bank confirms no results‑based payments have been made.

The programme has undergone four formal restructurings because of delays, the absence of an independent verifier, budget limits and technical difficulties. The Moca‑Gaspar Hernández water‑and‑sanitation project, funded with US$43.5 million, was extended to May 2028 and saw its targets cut sharply – water meters reduced from 10,000 to 2,500, network rehabilitation from 50 km to 20 km, new connections from 12,750 to 7,500, and the population with improved wastewater treatment from 90,000 to 72,000. The World Bank notes an additional US$20‑25 million is still needed to complete omitted investments, and US$3.33 million may be cancelled because it no longer fits the original design.

Otáñez labeled the situation a “national shame” and blamed the government’s lack of managerial capacity, saying the sector is in a crisis of direction, execution and public responsibility.