ICIWaRM Continues Work in Dominican Republic to Help Develop a Watershed Management Plan in NW Dominican Republic

From 10-13 February 2020, a team of scientists and engineers from ICIWaRM were in Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, to help generate a consensus watershed management plan for the Guayubin sub-basin of the Yaque del Norte river basin. The effort is consistent with USAID’s country goal of reducing “vulnerability of Natural and Built Environment … by improving watershed management and reducing water conflicts.”

This visit had three principal goals. The first was to meet with sub-basin decision makers (i.e. the Yaque del Norte river basin commission (CRYN)  and stakeholders representing the private sector, government agencies, and communities) to present and get feedback on the shared vision planning process, roles and responsibilities. The second was to get input on the scope and to clarify expectations of the shared vision planning study. And the third was to obtain data, existing models, and other pertinent information to develop a beta version of a model to be used to initiate a shared vision planning process pilot in the Guayubín.

To do this, the group into two teams. The first team went to Santo Domingo to meet with the various agencies and institutions to obtain relevant basin data and information. The visits were organized and co-led by The National Institute of Water Resources (INDRHI), which also hosts ICIWaRM’s sister UNESCO center CEHICA. The second team held meetings in Santiago de los Caballeros and Sabaneta with stakeholders and decision makers, and discussed the shared vision planning process.

A virtual meeting of a small binational planning group, to discuss the model and stakeholder goals, is planned for late April.