Expansion of the Villa Altagracia aqueduct guarantees potable water to more than 73,000 inhabitants

San Cristóbal.- The expansion of the Villa Altagracia aqueduct represents a milestone in the management of public services where more than 73,000 inhabitants now have access to a stable and sustainable source of drinking water. This work, inaugurated by President Luis Abinader, not only responds to a historical local demand, but also changes the landscape of state investment in the area. During the last five years, the government allocated RD 600 million to the improvement of the water system, in contrast to the RD 88 million invested between 2004 and 2020.

The magnitude of the investment marks a difference that, according to community leaders, has been expected for half a century. Sergio González, a neighbor and neighborhood reference, stated: “The inauguration responds to a clamor of 50 years of Villa Altagracia for access to drinking water, which represents a significant economic saving for many families”.

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The modernization of the aqueduct includes a new intake on the Haina River at kilometer 45 of the Duarte highway. Wellington Arnaud, director of the National Institute of Potable Water and Sewers (Inapa), specified that the production capacity increased from 200 to 300 liters per second. The infrastructure includes a treatment plant, pumping station, distribution lines, and a regulating reservoir capable of storing one million gallons. Before this expansion, the population depended on rainfall for supply, a situation that led to the nickname “rain aqueduct”. Now, the new system seeks to guarantee stability for several decades and eliminate water uncertainty.