In early February 2016 President Danilo Medina made a surprise visit to the community of Los Platanitos.

As part of the visit, he greeted residents, inspected the contaminated cañada, and observed the poor state of housing in the community.

Medina announced that his administration will undertake a cleanup effort of the cañada, which will include dredging the drainage canal and covering it with cement casing. The president was accompanied on the visit by representatives of the national public works agency (Oficina de Ingenieros Supervisores de Obras del Estado- OISOE) who will be in charge of overseeing the work.

While formal plans for the project have not been shared with the community, it is likely that some residents living immediately adjacent to the cañada may have to be relocated as their homes are in the path of construction.

Reactions to the announced project have been mixed with some community members excited about the prospect of major physical improvements to the cañada, while some residents are concerned about the possible displacement the project might cause. Still others are skeptical that the construction effort will actually be carried out.

Local project partners CIAMF and COPADEBA are working with residents to lobby for transparency and community representation as part of the planning effort as the project moves forward.

See coverage of the visit from the Dominican daily newspaper El Nacional, here.

See an official press release regarding the visit and the proposed plans to clean up the cañada, here.

See coverage of the visit from the Dominican newspaper El Caribe, here.