The Dominican Republic has achieved impressive increases in access to water supply and sanitation over the two decades prior to 2010. However, the quality of water supply and sanitation services remains poor, despite the country's high economic growth during the 1990s.

Access In 2015, around 1.6 million people lacked access to "improved" water and 1.7 million lacked access to "improved" sanitation. In the Dominican Republic, 84% of the total population had access to "improved" water, 86% of the urban population and 81% of the rural population. As for sanitation, 84% of the total population, 86% and 76%, urban and rural respectively, had access to "improved" sanitation.WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation

In 2010 the Dominican Republic, with a population of 8.8 million, of which about 60% were located in urban areas, had a relatively high level of access to water supply and sanitation, although access in some regions and among the poor remained insufficient. Urban (60% of the population) Rural (40% of the population) Total Improved water source 87% 84% 86% Improved sanitation 87% 75% 83% Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (2010) based on a trend extrapolation from the results of six Dominican Republic Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1986 and 2007 as well as a Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey conducted in 2000.The Joint Monitoring Program data do not mention the 2002 census as a source. According to the census, as quoted in Uriana Abreu, Slide 15, coverage for sanitation (broad definition) was 93% (96% in urban areas and 88% in rural areas). These higher coverage figures may be due to a broader definition of improved sanitation in the census compared to the Demographic and Health Survey used as a source by the JMP.

There are substantial regional differences in coverage for water. For example, in nine provinces located in the Central, Northeastern and Eastern part of the country less than 70% of the population had access to an improved source of water supply according to the 2002 census.Rosa Urania Abreu, octubre 2005: Republica Dominicana: Situacion actual del sector Agua Potable y Saneamiento y sus principales necesicades (Presentación en Powerpoint), Slide 17 Poor households exhibit lower levels of access: only 56% of poor households are connected to water house connections as opposed to 80% of non-poor households. Just 20% of poor households have access to sewers, as opposed to 50% for the non-poor.World Bank:Dominican Republic - Environmental priorities and strategic options: Country environmental analysis, 2004

Service quality Despite decentralization efforts and continued government support, quality and continuity of service are inadequate in the Dominican Republic. Water scarcity is increasing mainly due to excessive consumption in urban areas, a lack of demand management (low tariffs, low share of metering, limited environmental consciousness) and watershed degradation. Watershed degradation occurs mainly in the lower sections of most coastal basins and is a result of unplanned settlements and activities and lack of sanitation services.

Continuity

Continuity of services (%) By system By serviced population Continuous service 40% 10.5% Intermittent service 60% 89.5%

Drinking water quality Various factors affect the water quality in the Dominican Republic, including: poor condition of purification systems, minimal operational controls, low level of maintenance of treatment plants, and mostly intermittent systems. 38.4% of water systems have no chlorination system installed. These are mostly smaller systems in rural areas. The fact that a chlorination system exists is not a guarantee that water is actually properly disinfected.

National chlorination coverage Abreu, R.U. Final Report of Millennium Development Objectives. Objective 7. Potable Water and Sanitation Component, UNDP Millennium Project, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, April 2005, quoted in USAID / RTI International:Evaluation of USAID Strategy to Increase Potable Water Access and Sanitation in Rural Areas - Dominican Republic, 2006, retrieved on 15 April 2012, page 16

Urban Rural National Water systems with chlorination systems 87.3% 57.4% 61.4% Water systems without chlorination systems 12.7% 42.6% 38.4%

According to 2002 figures by the service providers only 73.6% of drinking water quality samples showed satisfactory drinking water quality, as measured by the absence of total coliforms, compared to a standard of 95%. The presence of coliforms as such is not a health hazard, but that the presence of coliforms is an indicator of the potential presence of pathogens.

Wastewater treatment In 2000 the WHO estimated that 49% of collected wastewater in the Dominican Republic received some kind of treatment.WHO/PAHO 2000: Evaluation of Water Supply and Sanitation in the Americas, Country Report Dominican Republic This percentage, while much higher than the average for Latin America and the Caribbean at that time (15%), is still considered insufficient.

Pollution The depletion of groundwater and the unregulated disposal of wastewater and solid waste are creating problems that might become irreversible. The numerous new communities around urban areas and large hotels usually do not have adequate sanitation.

History and recent developments During the 1950s and 1960s the water and sanitation sector in the Dominican Republic experienced an abrupt decentralization and subsequent re-centralization. Since 1962, the institutional framework has remained relatively stable, with a gradual process of regionalization to the provinces with the largest cities of the country. In the period since 1980, which was characterized by economic growth fueled primarily by a massive inflow of tourists, substantial investments were made and service coverage increased significantly.

Decentralization and Recentralization (1955-62) Under the government of Rafael Trujillo (1930–1961) water service provision was first provided centrally through the General Directorate of Water Systems (Dirección General de Acueductos) in the Ministry of Public Works and Irrigation (Secretaría de Fomento, Obras Públicas y Riego). However, in 1955 all responsibilities and assets were transferred to the city councils (Ayuntamientos), a model which failed by 1962. The government of President Joaquín Balaguer thus created INAPA through Law 5994 on July 30, 1962, again administering all water systems centrally.

Gradual establishment of regional water and sewer companies (1973-1998)

In 1973, under the second Presidency of Joaquín Balaguer (1966–1978), CAASD was set up in the capital Santo Domingo as the first regional water and sewer company. This was followed by the creation of CORAASAN in the second largest city of the country, Santiago, in 1977. The regionalization process then stalled for two decades. But at the request of Congressmen representing their respective constituencies, the process of regionalization resumed and in 1997-98 laws were passed creating three additional regional water and sewer companies in Puerto Plata, Moca and Romana. At the same time, INAPA embarked on its own decentralization programme, handing over the operation of rural water supply systems to community-based organizations. These efforts were supported by technical assistance from USAID (see below).

The 1990s under the third Presidency of Joaquín Balaguer (1986–1996) and the first Presidency of Leonel Fernández (1996–2000) witnessed substantial investments in water and sanitation and an important increase in coverage. For example, access to house connections in rural areas increased from 35% in 1990 to 62% in 2004. Access to sewer connections in urban areas increased from 47% in 1990 to 65% in 2004.WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program, as quoted further above These increases are among the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean during that period.

Stalled reform efforts (1999–2004) In 1999 the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved an important US$71 million loan to consolidate the reform and modernization of the water and sanitation sector.IDB:Drinking Water and Sanitation Sector Reform Project, retrieved on April 15, 2012 The loan foresaw the financing of investments by INAPA and regional companies, as well as substantial technical assistance. Specifically, it aimed at transforming the five regional water companies outside the capital into commercially operated entities with no political interference in day-to-day management and strong representation of municipalities and civil society in their Boards. The reform was based on the model of CORAASAN. In the case of CORAAMOCA and COAAROM, management contracts with private operators were to be signed. INAPA was to be gradually decentralized into autonomous regional units, and services in rural areas were to be gradually transferred to user associations. A condition for the effectiveness of the loan was the passing by Congress of a water and sanitation framework law that would have established a central government agency (ente rector) in charge of the sector as well as a water and sanitation regulatory agency.

Under the Presidency of Hipólito Mejía (2000–04), the water and sanitation law was debated in Congress in 2002 and again in June 2004, but was ultimately not passed.The draft discussed in 2002 is available at Ley de Reforma. Congress adjourned the debate on the law in June 2004 The IDB loan thus did not become effective. When Leonel Fernández became again President (2004–12) he has not taken the initiative to revitalize the stalled reform process.

Private sector service contracts in Santo Domingo (2001 onwards) The government undertook steps to involve the private sector in water and sanitation. In 2001 CAASD signed two service contracts for the installation of meters, meter reading, billing and collection, one for the Eastern and one for the Western part of its service area in Santo Domingo. The contract for the Western part was awarded to the Colombian company AAA, which increased the share of metering from 1% to 25% and increased collected revenues by 128% in less than two years.AAAAAA DOMINICANA S.A, retrieved on April 15, 2012

Responsibility for water supply and sanitation

Policy and regulation Policy and regulatory functions in the water and sanitation sector in the Dominican Republic are highly fragmented:

The Secretariado Técnico de la Presidencia is in charge of setting policies. Drinking water quality regulation is the responsibility of the Secretariat of Public Health (Secretaria de Salud Publica) through its State Secretariat of Public Health and Social Security (SESPAS) Environmental regulation is shared between the State Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaria de Estado de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales), which determines the limits of residual waste and controls activities,Rosa Urania Abreu. October 2005. Republica Dominicana: Situacion actual del sector APS y sus principales necesicades and the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI), which regulates concessions for all use and preservation of water. The General Directorate of Norms and Systems Quality (DIGENOR) approves quality norms in the sector.

No entity is specifically in charge of sanitation and there is no policy on sanitation. According to a 2006 evaluation for USAID, the Dominican Republic is one of the few countries in Latin America where sanitation is managed by a Public Health State Secretariat that is not coordinated with the rural potable water programs. This, together with the weakness of the Environmental Health Directorate in the Public Health Secretariat, has caused latrine and sanitary education programs to be weak or abandoned.