SANTO DOMINGO. - The Revisory Assembly is scheduled to debate the articles regarding the environment Tuesday afternoon, for which Chamber of Deputies Environment Commission president Mario Fernandez cautions the legislators to approve the article that prevents reducing the country’s protected areas.

The opposition PRSC party legislator said it will be a controversial topic, mainly because the assembly members of the country’s South region have contradictory proposals. He said although it’s necessary to hear the different positions, the article must be approved as is, in the constitutional reform proposal.

Fernandez also said he expects the Constitutional Revisory Assembly’s members to ratify that water is a public asset and that its management cannot be privatized, as some in the country business sectors often try. “I hope that with the grace of understanding of our legislators and members of the assembly today we can approve the proposal that water is a public, high-priority asset and that it’s a right of the citizens to receive an adequate water service."

The lawmaker added that to protect the river basins and conserve water the country needs to plant 300,000 hectares of forests in the next 10 years and put a halt to deforestation.