Dominican communities seek legal action over RD$3.8 billion water fund

Community organizations in the San Cristóbal province, including Haina, Hato Damas, El Ramón-San Francisco, and Nigua, have announced legal actions against the National Institute of Potable Water and Sewerage (INAPA) and its executive director, Wellington Arnaud. The groups are demanding accountability for over RD$3,800 million allocated to water supply projects that have reportedly failed to produce visible results.

According to the Fundación Pro Desarrollo La Trinitaria (FUNPRO-DET), a contract originally valued at approximately RD$23 million in 2003 for an aqueduct in El Ramón-San Francisco was expanded through nine addenda to reach a total of over RD$3.8 billion. Residents in Bajos de Haina, Hato Damas, and Villa Altagracia continue to face severe water shortages despite these massive investments. Community leaders have described some projects as a “virtual aqueduct” due to the lack of tangible infrastructure.

In a separate development in Santo Domingo, the Corporation of Aqueducts and Sewers of Santo Domingo (Caasd) has begun sanitation works in the Capotillo sector and the Santa Clara ravine. This project, involving an investment of over RD$380 million, aims to benefit approximately 65,000 residents through improved drainage and sewage networks.