Santo Domingo.- Deputies from the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) and the People’s Force (FP) submitted a draft resolution to the Chamber of Deputies requesting that President Luis Abinader instruct the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to halt any attempt, permit, or license for the installation of a landfill in the community of El Aguacate, La Cuaba municipal district, Pedro Brand municipality.
The initiative was presented by legislators Ramón Raposo (PRD), Rafaela González and Domingo De León (FP), who went to the Legislative General Secretariat of the Lower House together with more than 60 community leaders from La Cuaba. The congressmen explained that the project responds to the rejection expressed by residents, churches, agricultural producers, and social organizations that have maintained a series of protests to prevent the execution of the project.
The draft resolution seeks to protect the natural resources of La Cuaba, preserve water sources, conserve biodiversity, and guarantee the right of the inhabitants to live in a healthy environment. Furthermore, it proposes that the Ministry of Environment conduct a technical assessment to declare the area one of special environmental protection, with the objective of preventing interventions that could affect its ecological balance.
During the filing of the initiative, community leaders reiterated their rejection of the landfill installation and assured that they will maintain the protests until they obtain an official response.
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In that sense, Fabio Correa stated that the residents remain on permanent watch to prevent the project from advancing.
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“We have a permanent camp in Los Aguacates, where today we have reached 38 continuous days and we still have not received a response from the authorities,” stated Correa.
Meanwhile, community member Rafaela made a direct appeal to President Luis Abinader to intervene on behalf of the community and rule out the construction of the landfill in the area.
“La Cuaba does not want that landfill, Mr. President… we are appealing to the sensitivity that you always have. This community asks you, please, to try to take that landfill somewhere else,” he stated.
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The community members maintain that the place where the project is intended to be developed has a high ecological value and represents an important source of water for thousands of families, which is why they consider that its protection should be a priority for the authorities.
The legislative proposal is supported by Article 67 of the Constitution of the Republic, which establishes the State’s duty to prevent pollution and protect the environment, as well as Article 61, which recognizes health as a fundamental right. It is also based on Law 64-00 on Environment and Natural Resources and Law 225-20 on Comprehensive Management and Coprocessing of Solid Waste.
