US embassy cable - 05SANTODOMINGO3791

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 003791 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: DR, ETRD, PGOV, SENV 
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN BEACH WATERS: STUDY FINDS HIGH LEVELS OF 
BACTERIA 
 
1.  An ecological study of Dominican beaches conducted in 
2004 by Direccon de Calidad Ambiental de la Secretaria de 
Medio Ambiente (Directorate of Environmental Quality of the 
Secretariat of the Environment) found that many coastal 
 
SIPDIS 
waters contain high levels of fecal residue.  Bacterial 
analysis of 184 samples, collected from 79 beaches around the 
country, revealed that fecal coliforms (sewage-related 
bacteria) and fecal streptococcus bodies were present in the 
waters of at least 37 of the monitored beaches. Biologist 
Luis Carvajal warned in the press that these bacteria may 
cause diarrhea, dysentery, pharyngeal inflammation, and lung 
and respiratory diseases in bathers.  According to 
researchers, the contamination is largely due to the lack of 
adequate waste water treatment systems. 
 
2.  There are 197 beaches in the country, 71 in the north, 54 
in the east, and 72 on the southwestern coast.  These form 
the backbone of the Dominican tourism industry as nearly 95% 
of all tourists come for the beaches.  The negative findings 
of the study may cause prospective tourists to vacation 
elsewhere, resulting in major losses for the Dominican 
tourism industry and hurting the Dominican economy overall. 
 
3.  The highest levels of contamination were found in the 
waters close to urban areas.  For example, in the capital, 
Santo Domingo, bacteriological problems were present on the 
beaches in Guibia and Manresa, in the Boca Chica-San Pedro 
area, in La Caleta, Andres, Caribe, Guayacanes, Costa Linda, 
Villa del Mar, El Muerto, Santa Beach, and Juan Dolio. The La 
Romana-Bayahibe area had the least fecal contamination, with 
the exception of the La Caleta and El Caleton beaches.  Out 
of the 11 beaches monitored in the Punta Cana-Bavaro region, 
six had coliform levels exceeding the environmentally 
established norms for ocean waters. 
 
4.  The newspaper El Caribe, which reported results of the 
study on June 14, also mentioned a plan to restore water 
quality in 11 rivers around the country.  The clean-up of the 
Ozama and Isabela rivers in the capital is to be financed and 
executed by the waste-producing industries and the five city 
councils of the National District and the province of Santo 
Domingo, as well as the Secretariats of Public Works and 
Public Health.  According to Secretary of the Environment Max 
Puig, the government does not have the funds to properly 
treat the waters of the heavily polluted rivers and must 
therefore rely on "international loans and help from the 
private sector." 
 
5. Drafted by Diana Flewelling.  This report and others can 
be found on our SIPRNET site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/ . 
HERTELL