The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MMARN) will develop a monitoring system and implement a protocol for measuring water quality in the Yaque del Norte river basin (PSA-CYN), with equipment donated by the United States Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The equipment, valued at US$125,000, will also enable the implementation of an integral system for regular measurements and monitoring of the environmental impact of solid waste deposits in Samaná.
USAID acting deputy director, Robert Clink, handed over the equipment to deputy ministers Indhira de Jesús and José Elías González.
Indhira de Jesús explained that the equipment will be used to permanently evaluate and monitor the status of the main water quality indicators, as well as the volume in the different tributaries that make up the Yaque del Norte river basin, especially in the area of incidence of the PSA-CYN.
USAID’s monitoring support for the PSA-CYN project is provided by the REDDOM Foundation, with the support of Plan Yaque.
“The equipment we received represents the first step in the development of this monitoring capacity. The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources has the responsibility to guarantee the right of all our citizens to a healthy environment”, said Indhira de Jesús.
Meanwhile, José Elías González expressed that “the experience achieved with the initiative of payment for environmental services in the Yaque del Norte river basin, presents us with the challenge of developing technical, economic, regulatory and institutional instruments”, in accordance with this environmental management mechanism and the current legal framework.
Robert Clink also expressed USAID’s interest in continuing to support programs focused on the preservation of natural resources. “We depend on a healthy environment for our survival, we need clean air to breathe, the elimination of carbon dioxide from the air to regulate the climate, the necessary conditions for filtration and the supply of clean water,” he said.
The event was attended by Jesús de los Santos, vice president of the REDDOM Foundation; Luis Tolentino, specialist in Climate Change and Sustainability; Sol Teresa Paredes Minaya, coordinator of PSA-CYN; José Enrique Báez, in charge of the Environmental Valuation Department; John Grullón, director of the Program for the Integral Management of Solid Waste (Progirs); Ginny Heinsen, of 3Rs Sustainability, and Iván Cruz, director of Financial Mechanism of the Vice-Ministry of Climate Change.
Source:presidencia.gov.do
