SANTO DOMINGO.– The president of CODIA, the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors, proposed yesterday an agreement between several entities, in order to ensure that the works being built in the national territory are monitored.
Engineer Cristian Rojas Mora suggested that the agreement should be established between the municipalities, the Ministry of Housing and Construction (MIVED), and the Public Prosecutor's Office. His recommendations come after the collapse of a four-story building in La Vega, which resulted in one death and several injuries.
The president of the CODIA explained that a fire occurred in the collapsed building in 2019 on the fourth floor and that at that time its owner sought an engineer from the CODIA of La Vega and consulted him about the situation, whose expert suggested "a structural reinforcement due to the weakening that was observed in the elements.".
“The recommendations were not to the owner’s liking because he wanted to put his building into operation quickly and a reinforcement would take a long time, so he demolished his construction,” Mora said.
He noted that when he went to the scene, “we could see that the structure was overloaded on the roof, it had a thin layer of about 17 centimeters on top of a weak metal slab and on top of that there was a solar panel system, meaning that the roof was completely overloaded.”.
"What happened in La Vega is what will happen in the country if a major earthquake like the one in Haiti occurs, because many buildings that are built in a traditional way will have problems and people will lose their investment and, most regrettably, lives could be lost.".
The union leader also called on investors and homeowners who are going to build their homes to contact an engineering and architecture professional to design and build their property, because that is the only thing that guarantees their investment.
“When an engineer or architect builds and designs, they are guaranteeing the investment. By trying to save money, you are making an investment without any guarantee.”.
He said that hiring experienced professionals guarantees that everything will be done correctly and according to the law. He lamented that many people spend their entire lives saving to build their homes, only to find they don't receive quality construction.
Mora explained that when he said 95% of the country's construction projects are illegal, it was because only those processed through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MIVED) are legal. "And it's well known that construction projects are taking place nationwide, but these projects don't exist for the official authorities or for us at the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects, and Surveyors (CODIA).".
He stated that last year he attended the MIVED where the one-stop shop for construction was set up and was surprised to hear that only 1,500 permits had been approved, considering the state of construction in the country and the development of the eastern region.
