Environment clarifies that works in the Haina River correspond to environmental recovery and not illegal extraction

Santo Domingo.– The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, through the Vice Ministry of Soils and Waters, clarified that the work currently being carried out on the Haina river, in the Manoguayabo area, does not correspond to an illegal extraction of materials, as some community members have denounced, but rather to an official process of environmental recovery and sanitation of the tributary.

The institution explained that the intervention is part of the actions contemplated in Resolution No. 0002-2026, through which the integral recovery of the Haina River basin was declared an environmental emergency, due to the deterioration accumulated over the years in the area. According to the Ministry, the works cover strategic sectors of the basin, including the Palavé section and other areas linked to the industrial and logistics corridor of Haina, where technical studies have identified excessive sedimentation, erosion of margins, reduction of the hydraulic capacity of the channel and irregular occupations in the river’s protection strip.

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The clarification arises after complaints from community residents in Manoguayabo, specifically in Palavé and Lechería, who expressed concern about an alleged illegal extraction of materials. However, the authorities specified that the work corresponds to a project to recover the tributary, which includes stabilization of margins and construction of containment structures with recycled materials, such as tires. Environment argued that the current conditions of the river pose risks to nearby communities, infrastructure, and the ecological balance of the river system, especially during the rainy season, due to the decrease in natural drainage capacity.

Furthermore, the entity indicated that the works include channel recovery, margin stabilization, restoration of vegetation cover, and cleaning of impacted areas, with the aim of reducing the risk of flooding and strengthening the environmental protection of the basin. Finally, the Ministry specified that the intervention is supervised by technicians from the institution, with the support of the National Environmental Protection Service (SENPA), the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Defense of the Environment and other organizations of the environmental technical table. The authorities called on the population to remain calm and assured that the work seeks to generate benefits for the communities and the ecosystem of the area.