Analyze environmental, social and scientific implications of the growth of Lake Enriquillo
Santo Domingo. The Global Foundation, Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE / GFDD), the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), the City College of New York (CCNY) conducted a dialogue to analyze the environmental, social and scientific implications of Enriquillo Lake growth and the situation of the phenomenon.
In the meeting, held in Funglode, representatives of academic institutions, government and civil society presented advances in studies on the socioeconomic impact of the problem of the lake in the populations of the areas of influence, also the impact of the phenomenon in the agricultural sector and biodiversity, as well as the hydrological dynamics of the area.
The objective of the meeting was to collect information to consider in order to deepen the study and that the solutions offered are comprehensive and take into account the different aspects. Researchers Jorge González, from CCNY, José Alarcón, from UASD, Luis Cuevas, from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI) and Solhanlle Bonilla and Yolanda León, both from INTEC.
Researchers such as Alarcón and Bonilla agreed that, in the socioeconomic aspect, it is necessary to transfer the populations of the zone of direct influence of the lake, which are more vulnerable (such as Boca Cachón), to define the territorial ordering in the area and to develop programs of payment for environmental services (PSA). León presented the preliminary observations that have been made so far regarding biodiversity, mainly between crocodiles and Ricordi iguanas, while Cuevas emphasized that from 2007 the lake receives huge water recharges due to meteorological phenomena such as Olga and Noel and the Trujillo and Cristóbal channels, that still remain.
The meeting was headed by Yamile Eusebio, of Funglode, Julio Sánchez Maríñez, vice-rector of Research and Liaison of INTEC, and Joseph Barba, dean of Engineering of CCNY. Authorities of the National Council on Climate Change, such as Omar Ramírez, as well as technicians from the National Office of Meteorology (ONAMET), Grupo Jaragua and NOAA-CREST from New York, contributed to the elaboration of a plan-proposal. to address the problem.
In search of new variables
To expand the sources of information for INTEC-CCNY research, technicians reported that they installed a monitoring network of climatic and atmospheric variables with 26 points in 18 localities north of Lake Enriquillo, with funding from the National Fund for Innovation and Scientific Development Technological (FONDOCyT) of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCyT), as well as both universities.
Jorge González explained that the network, installed in February 2012, will feed and complement the global models of climate behavior for the Caribbean region, with data from the country and will produce additional indicators to those traditionally managed.
It has 18 sensors of temperature and relative humidity (T / RH), two precipitation meters (V-PCP) and three volumetric soil moisture content sensors (VSMC) to monitor the behavior and possible variations of the natural cycle of these variables in the Sierra de Neyba, north of Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican section of the basin. In addition, three fog sensors, a wind sensor and a solar radiation sensor.
From 2010, INTEC and CCNY carry out the hydrogeological study of Lago Enriquillo with financing from FONDOCyT, where Ricardo González, from INTEC and Daniel Comarazamy, from CCNY, participate together with Jorge González.