Regulatory framework
It is essential to dimension the sector's problems in its environmental, economic and social aspects and to design a work plan aligned with the goals of the Government Plan, the SDGs and the National Development Strategy in its water sector indicators. Considering the inclusion, participation, collaboration and essential protagonism of all sectors involved with the resource and services linked to water in the Dominican Republic.
Article 15.- Water resources. Water constitutes strategic national heritage for public use, inalienable, imprescriptible, unseizable and essential for life. Human consumption of water has priority over any other use. The State will promote the development and implementation of effective policies for the protection of the Nation's water resources.
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For the purposes of the law, rainwater is considered water, which comes immediately from rain.
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The law establishes the standards for the conservation, protection, improvement and restoration of the environment and natural resources, ensuring their sustainable use. Likewise, it establishes a general framework on information and participation in environmental matters, and responsibility for environmental damage in the Dominican Republic.
Institutional Framework
The Table was created by decree 265-16 and is chaired by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD) and its executive director is José Alarcón Mella, who held a meeting with representatives of organizations from the basins who learned about the “National Strategy of Integrated Water Management in the Basin.”
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The Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development is the governing body of the National Planning and Public Investment System, aimed at the continuous improvement of the public policy cycle, focused on the well-being of citizens and the sustainable development of the nation. The ministry promotes the strengthening of institutions through effective compliance with current laws and regulations, the promotion of a culture of quality, transparency and management for results, motivating innovation, the development of skills and the institutional commitment of the entire staff.
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources is the governing body for the management of the environment, ecosystems and natural resources to comply with the powers that, in accordance with environmental legislation in general, correspond to the State, in order to achieve sustainable development.
Formulate and direct agricultural policies in accordance with the country's general development plans, so that producers take advantage of the comparative and competitive advantages in the markets and thus contribute to guaranteeing food security, the generation of productive jobs and foreign exchange, and the improvement of the living conditions of the population.
The reason for being of the Ministry of Energy and Mines is the formulation and administration of policies for the responsible and sustainable development of the energy sector and national mining, metallic and non-metallic.
In addition to maintaining a reliable energy infrastructure, we are concerned with preserving and promoting adequate exploitation of the minerals found in the national territory for the benefit of citizens. As a public administration body, our function is to be the governing body of the national energy system, as well as the electric, renewable, nuclear, natural gas and mining energy subsectors.
Promote better living conditions and greater well-being of families and individuals in our nation, through the preservation and rational use of water resources, guaranteeing the availability of the resource in optimal quality, adequate quantities, and in a fair and timely manner, with emphasis in water for the Irrigation Subsector.
The National Institute of Drinking Water and Sewage is a department created by Law 5994, in 1962, with the purpose of fully satisfying the needs and demands of the urban, peri-urban and rural population of the country located in its area of operational jurisdiction. with drinking water services of adequate quality from a physical-chemical, bacteriological and organoleptic point of view, reliable, continuous, with adequate pressures, with full coverage, at reasonable costs and in the quantity necessary to meet the rational consumption of the population, as well as the service of collection, transportation and final disposal of wastewater, without causing negative impacts on health or the environment, and contributing to the improvement of levels of well-being, health and development.
Trace and establish public policies and strategies that lead to a mainstreaming of climate change and a fair transition for the prevention and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change, articulating public and private entities and actors. of society, in an inclusive way, promoting climate actions that lead to socioeconomic and sustainable development, guaranteeing the increase in territorial resilience.
In the 80s and 90s of the 20th century, an intense process of recurring social and popular mobilizations took place in the Dominican Republic in demand for basic services and infrastructure. The population rose up in demands that they directed to the central government. Many of these demands had to be addressed by the councils, but they did not have the resources required to solve them. Fedomu was founded in the city of La Vega, on November 28, 2000 at the initiative of 27 mayors from different parties. and regions of the country. It obtained its legal personality on March 20, 2001, through Executive Branch Decree No. 398-2001. It currently has its own legal personality under Law No. 122 of May 3, 2005 on non-profit associations.
We are in charge of the water supply of the communities of Guananito, Basima, Quisqueya Verde.
In this Caribbean nation, although access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation is almost universal, service is deficient and very limited. Six out of 10 urban households and half of rural households in this Caribbean country report intermittent water supply. More than two-thirds rely on tanks, pumps or cisterns to store water for daily consumption. The low quality of service forces Dominicans to resort to bottled water, which is more expensive, generating a heavy impact on their pockets.
Dominican Republic
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The situation has been worsening over the years: in 1990, 13% of the urban population and 0.7% of the rural population used bottled water as a source of drinking water. In 2016, according to the latest record, that figure amounted to 89% of the urban population and 68% of the rural population.And the poor suffer the most from this torment. 40% of the most vulnerable households spend 12% of their income to purchase water and, of that percentage, 95% is for bottled water that they buy from private companies.Added to this is the fact that two-thirds of Dominican households also do not have sewer connections that allow wastewater treatment, which increases the threat of disease due to groundwater contamination.