Wellington Arnaud urges water law as Dominican Republic expands sanitation projects

Wellington Arnaud, executive director of the Dominican Republic’s National Institute of Potable Water and Sewerage (INAPA), stressed the urgent need to approve a national Water Law and to consolidate the sector, noting that the country currently has 18 separate water‑governing bodies. Speaking at the “Planificar para transformar RD sostenible” conference at the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña, he highlighted recent infrastructure milestones that improve daily life, including the Gurabo stream sanitation project in Santiago and new aqueducts serving Miches, Cabo Rojo, Mención, Navarrete, Villa Altagracia and Ocoa.

Arnaud also described an ongoing universal sanitation program targeting coastal and tourist zones such as Boca Chica, La Caleta, Andrés, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana, Higüey and Bávaro‑Punta Cana, encompassing 200 km of coastline and a submarine outfall. He pointed to international recognition from the Inter‑American Development Bank for the country’s sanitation achievements and thanked President Luis Abinader for supporting the necessary investments.