Santo Domingo.-  Dozens of residents of western Bahoruco and Independencia provinces staged a protested outside the National Palace Monday, to demand that the government declare a state of emergency in areas flooded by the swelled Enriquillo and Azuey lakes, that have shattered the lives of more than 10,000 families, in the already depressed region.

Wielding pickets and shouting slogans, representatives of provincial organizations demanded immediate and concrete solutions from the government, to deal with the "catastrophic" situation their region faces.

They said they are tired of commissions that never solve anything, in reference to the government’s habit of designating people during crises to conduct studies that lead nowhere.