Strengthening the drinking water supply in Santiago: Coraasan announces ambitious expansion plan
The Santiago Aqueduct and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan) has launched a strategic plan to secure the drinking water supply in the province against climate challenges. Andrés Cueto, general director of the institution, reported that the expansion of the main aqueduct will allow for an increase in the system’s production capacity, going from 5.5 to 8 cubic meters per second.
This infrastructure project is vital to guarantee a constant supply, even during the most severe periods of drought. According to the technical details provided, the new configuration will allow two cubic meters per second to be allocated exclusively to Santiago, while another two will be directed to Moca through a pumping system, complemented by an additional four cubic meters that will be distributed by gravity.
Santiago will always have water permanently
Andrés Cueto, General Director of Coraasan
Key works and urban sanitation
In addition to the expansion of the aqueduct, Coraasan is working on a portfolio of projects aimed at modernizing the water and sanitation infrastructure of the province. Among the outstanding works are:
- The San Francisco de Cagua aqueduct, with a capacity of one cubic meter per second.
- The development of Collector 10.
- The comprehensive sanitation of the Gurabo stream.
- The construction of nine storage tanks, seven of which have already been tendered.
Budgetary challenges and future vision
To materialize these works, Cueto stressed the need to increase the resources allocated to the institution. Although Coraasan’s current budget has grown to RD$1.729 billion, the management aspires to reach a ceiling of RD$3 billion to ensure the viability of all planned projects.
The official emphasized that public investment in Santiago has experienced an unprecedented boost under the current government administration, facilitating closer contact between local authorities and the Executive Branch. This synergy is key to addressing not only hydraulic issues, but also the challenges of the electricity sector and other basic services necessary to sustain the province’s demographic and economic growth.
