Azua - The Dominican Government, through the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (Indrhi), continues to promote the agricultural development of this province with the continuation of the Azua II - Pueblo Viejo Agricultural Development Project, works that expand the availability of water for irrigation and promote greater productivity. The investments are part of the actions that strengthen national food security, in a context in which the Dominican Republic has been recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for the progress made in reducing hunger.

The institution, directed by Olmedo Caba Romano, is advancing in the works corresponding to the new stage of the project, which will continue to transform the use of water resources in the province. Producers in the area valued the continuity that the current management of Indrhia has given the initiative, describing it as an example of the commitment of Luis Abinader's government to the development of the field and highlighting the benefits they have already received thanks to the works already delivered.

The project is conceived in stages and three of them are already completed. They comprise six reservoirs with a combined capacity of 509,090 cubic meters (m³) of water, to optimize irrigation in more than 380,000 tasks of the Ysura system. Likewise, the canal in its entire length, a work built by Indrhi in 1978 and considered the aorta vein of the province.

In the development stage, the project extends towards the eastern part of the province, from Lateral Canal 6 of Ysura, to guarantee continuous and regulated irrigation in more than 47,000 agricultural tasks in the municipalities of Estebanía, Las Charcas and Hatillo. It is designed to transport a flow of 2.8 m³/s. Currently, work is progressing with the construction of a 10.9 kilometer pipeline section, through an optimized network of channels and siphons, that will connect with the Block III reservoir, also under construction, which will provide 20,000 m3 of storage.

Once the current phase is completed, the project will advance towards its final stage, which contemplates the integration of eight complementary reservoirs to add an additional 203,000 m³, which will ensure the availability of water for thousands of producers who today suffer from the salinization of their crops.

Regarding the impact of the Azua II works already in operation, the producer ShesterFamilia, who grows bananas, onions and tomatoes in the Pueblo Viejo area, highlighted having gone from 208 tasks to 338 in production, due to the rehabilitation carried out on the Ysura canal. “The Indrhi has done and continues to do a good job,” he stated.

In that same order, Luciano Morón, banana producer in Pueblo Viejo, pointed out that the project in its full dimension is a work of utmost importance for farmers and assured that its benefits “are forever, since for producers there is no life without water.”

While Frank Méndez, banana, tomato and banana producer, appreciated that President Luis Abinader has prioritized the agricultural sector

As part of the works progressing, the Indride Right of Way Unit develops, in parallel, the appraisal and negotiation process with owners and contractors for the acquisition of some 28 tasks, in accordance with the established legal procedures, to advance the hydraulic work.

With the execution of the Azua II - Pueblo Viejo Project, the Dominican Government ratifies its commitment to promoting economic growth and food security in the Dominican Republic.