Santo Domingo.- Environment minister Jaime David Fernandez yesterday called the weaknesses in the handling of waste and treatment of water a “tangible threat” situation which is of major concern amid the increase of cholera cases in the country.

“Unquestionably there are many weaknesses in the handling of waste waters; regrettably no sector of Dominican society shows concern about it,” the official said, quoted by news source elcaribe.com.do.

He said to deal with that issue the heads of all Government agencies met last week to deal with the topic of water, and coordinate all aspects of the sector. “But major weaknesses still persist. It’s a tangible threat, the fact that different waste water treatment plants aren’t working make it more of a threat now than we have this issue of the water-borne disease, which is cholera.”

The Environment Minister said despite the Government’s effort to halt the sanitary threats of untreated waste water, no initiative would have the reach or effect if the political class, non-government organizations and the population as a whole don’t show an interest in knowing what occurs with the waters used in their daily lives. “I thank the media’s effort to directly know which plants work and which ones don’t, because they alert us in the Environment Ministry, the Public Health Ministry, Inapa, CAASD (Santo Domingo Aqueduct and Sewage System  Corporation  )and all corporations on how to do things better.”

The official’s warnings on improperly treated waste waters comes just days after CAASD director Freddy Perez called the deterioration and insufficient operations of the capital’s sewage treatment plants a “veritable time bomb,” an warning an urban planner made several years ago about the upscale sector Naco, which has no sewage system.