Dominican Rep's president cuts ribbon on Santo Domingo aqueduct

Dominican Repblic President Danilo Medina has cut the ribbon on the first phase of the Santo Domingo eastern aqueduct modernization project in the country's capital, the federal government announced in a statement.

The project, managed by Santo Domingo's state-owned water utility CAASD, required a 1.419bn Dominican peso (US$30mn) investment and will benefit almost 1.5mn people living in the eastern part of the capital.

The project involved the installation of two vitrified steel regulating tanks, which will be able to store 15mn gallons of water. It also entailed rehabilitation of the El Tamarindo water pumping station and various different wells located in Santo Domingo Norte municipality.

Thanks to the upgrade, the capacity of the Santo Domingo eastern aqueduct will increase by 10%.

The aim of the project is to make water distribution more efficient in the capital city, as well as to increase the quality of water supplies.

According to local press reports, this is the largest waterworks project that has been carried out to date during Medina's administration.

The second phase of the project is scheduled to start next year, according to the government.

nt.