BÁVARO, LA ALTAGRACIA.- “I’ve been living in Punta Cana for 15 years and there’s an infrastructure problem. It’s true that the Autovía del Este (Eastern Highway) helped us a lot, connecting us with the rest of the country, but we still have a problem with the main avenue, Avenida Barceló, which remains chaotic, full of potholes and other issues,” says Jordi Díaz, a Spanish businessman and co-founder of Mystiq RD, a development company located in this area of the country.
Díaz believes the government should start paying closer attention to its "golden goose," Punta Cana. "They need to start reviewing that more closely," he asserts, adding that construction must be regulated to curb the chaos. "I support that; the projects we have are all in residential areas precisely to regulate that sector. But there are many projects located right on the highway, on Barceló Avenue," he maintains.
For his part, Ricardo Hernández, executive vice president of Construction & Capital International, advocates for the construction of an aqueduct and the halting of pollution in some sectors that, he says, have grown in a disorganized manner.
Ricardo Hernández. (Fidel Pérez/El Inmobiliario).
“You have to build an aqueduct for this entire area. Because if you don't build an aqueduct, you're contaminating the water table. Because not all projects use treatment plants, not all projects have a series of regulations that protect the environment,” he asserted.
He said that many projects in Bávaro and Friusa have septic tanks where they also draw their water, because there is no sewage or drainage system and no water supply network. “Unfortunately, for example, Osiris de León, an expert engineer, once said that 90% of the water table in Bávaro was contaminated due to this situation.”.
He adds that most of the projects in Verón grew in a disorganized way, and in the case of those in Friusa, none use recyclable wastewater treatment plants. So, where does the sewage go? Underground. And where do they get their water? From a well they install with a pump, Hernández stated.
For Jordi Díaz, the construction of roads and connections is becoming urgent in the Bávaro and Punta Cana areas, to decongest Barceló Avenue and cope with the growth experienced in the area.
Cities vs tourist hubs
Businessman Hernández understands that cities need to become tourist hubs. “And all-inclusive resorts need to be integrated into urban development, and the authorities—the Mayor's office, the Ministry of Public Works, the private sector, whoever—need to invest in infrastructure development. We can't have a highway full of potholes and with all the safety barriers broken, when it's the route tourists use to travel to and from the airport,” he emphasized.
He stated that although he is not familiar with the general projects being built in the area, he assures that in Cap Cana alone there are currently 127 projects underway.
“I don’t know them all, but, for example, I can give you a fact that in Cap Cana alone, and this is a real, verifiable fact, I’m not making it up, there are currently 127 projects underway, just within Cap Cana,” Hernández stated.
Hopefully things will be different in Miches
Hernández, a Cuban national, hopes the situation in Miches will be different and that the number of developments planned for the area demonstrates the need for immediate attention to planning. “Both hotel and real estate developments are important, but planning is essential. I believe we must learn from the mistakes made in Bávaro and Punta Cana and ensure they are not repeated in Miches.”.
He stated that it is not possible to talk about the more than 11 million tourists that the country projects to receive this 2024, when the necessary infrastructure conditions are not in place.
He said it is unacceptable that the main financial hub of the Dominican Republic does not even have street lighting.
Cover photo: Jordi Díaz. (Fidel Pérez/El Inmobiliario).
