Dominican officials scramble as lake could cut off border town

Jimaní, Dominican Republic. – Public Works minister Gonzalo del Castillo on Wednesday instructed local officials and technicians to survey the roads affected by the encroachment of ??Enriquillo lake (west).

He said president Danilo Media ordered the measure to keep the area’s roads keep open and in good condition.

Castillo said the survey aims to find a way to allow the traffic of light and heavy vehicles between the border towns, and avert hurting commerce and farm production.

He aid in addition to an interagency committee named by Medina to seek a solution, “Public Works is doing an assessment to implement a small emergency plan to deal with the lake’s situation and keep the surrounding roads in good operating condition."

The official added that the highway to Jimaní remains open “precariously” because of the lake’s encroachment on the road, and the resulting effect on the transport of goods and foods jeopardizes its economy and that of other towns, including Mapasse, on the Haiti side of the border.