Irrigation in the Dominican Republic

According to FAO, DR receives a mean annual precipitation of about 1,500 mm; with arid zones receiving as less as 500 mm/year, and humid areas receiving an average of 2,500 mm/year. Evapotranspiration is over 2,000 mm/year. Total runoff is estimated at 21,000 Million m3/year.

Water demand for irrigation is 7,340.41 million m³/year which is 82% of the total demand (8,891,45 million m³/year). Irrigation demand is covered mostly by surface irrigation, and partially (13%) by groundwater.[4]

According to FAO, 125,000ha and 80,000ha are affected by drainage and salinity problems, respectively. The majority of which are located in the Valleys such as Cibao, Santiago Montecristi, Azua, San Juan de la Manguana, Neyba y Barahona as well as downstream Yuna and the eastern coastal area, in the provinces of Maria Trinidad Gracias y Altagracia respectively.[1]

Global climate change is expected to induce permanent climate shocks to the Caribbean region including sea level rise, higher surface air and sea temperatures, extreme weather events (such as tropical storms and hurricanes), increased rainfall intensity (leading to more frequent and severe flooding) and more frequent and severe "El Niño-like" conditions. Demographic growth accelerated environmental degradation, deforestation, and lack of mitigation measures will intensify the impact of disasters in the future.[5]

There is currently no information available about the specific impacts of climate change on irrigated agriculture in the DR. Although there is some data in terms of Climate Change impacts on water resources in DR's First Communication to the UNFCCC. Indeed, it is expected a great decrease in spatial distribution of rainfall, and total runoff for the year 2100, demonstrating a structural change that intensifies the transition from the most humid zones to the driest and an expansion of the areas of the country that are historically the driest.[6]

The Water Law, No. 5852 passed in 1962, promotes the creation of irrigation districts and irrigation organizations. Relevant aspects of this law include the establishment of limited property rights over water originated in one's land through springs and rain water and the linkage of water rights with land ownership.

Law No. 6 of 1965 created the National Institute for Water Resources (INDRHI), the national water authority, assigning functions for operating irrigation systems with the participation of users. INDRHI has been the promoter and developer of irrigation, thus having responsibility at three functional levels: policy development and planning at the constitutional (normative) level; water rights administration, regulation enforcement and hydrological services at the organizational level; and water use for the irrigation system at the operational level.

Presidential decrees and agreements between INDRHI and Water Users Association (Asociaciones de Regantes- WUA) have provided legal support for the Irrigation Management Transfer Program (IMTP) (see below).

The Dominican Water Resource Institute – INDRHI, under the Ministry of the Environment, is responsible for managing water and related resources as well as designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programs, projects and activities aimed at controlling and regulating surface and groundwater use.

INDRHI is also in charge of irrigation systems management including responsibilities such as operation and maintenance of dam, main channel and drainage system of all irrigation systems, as well as of all the facilities in those systems that are not yet transferred to the WUAs. This transfer policy has been financed largely by international resources in coordination with the 10 Department of Irrigation Districts, under INDRHI. INDRHI is in the process of receding in their scope and operational responsibilities.

Finally, INDRHI collaborates with other sectoral institutions such as: (i) the State Secretariat for Agriculture and the Dominican Agriculture Institute, (ii) the Water Supply and Sanitation "Institute" INAPA, a utility operating in small towns and rural areas, and regional water and sanitation utilities in the cities of Santo Domingo, Santiago, Moca, Puerto Plata and Romana, (iii) the Ministry of Public Health, and (iv) the Dominican Electricity Corporation.[1]

The Irrigation Management Transfer Program (IMTP) shift responsibility for the administration, operation and maintenance (O&M) of irrigation infrastructure to WUAs while remaining state owned. The IMTP, still under implementation, has not been accompanied by a legal framework promoting further development of WUAs, their management practices, both in the administrative and commercial sense, and water management efficiency.

There are a total of 28 Irrigation Users Boards (Juntas de Regantes-WUB) represent a total of 71,800 water users (of a total of 89,300) covering 4.3 million tareas—15.9 tareas = 1 ha. The WUB are in charge of fee collection, operation, administration, budget preparation and expenditures. WUB are composed of Water Users Associations (Asociaciones de Regantes- WUA), and are legally considered as Non-profit organizations. Contrary to some WUBs, which have receive extended support from IMTP, WUAs are mostly weak when their organizational characteristics.

Source: INDRHI

There are a number of legal and commercial issues that will affect how these projects move forward and are structured. Whilst some of the legal issues are not confined to irrigation PPPs they can take on a new dimension and complexity when applied to irrigation: Land ownership; water extraction; public sector counterpart. These will be key issues in a PPP as the private provider will want to ensure a steady revenue stream.[7]

There are also the usual legal considerations that need to be checked when developing PPPs in any sector, such as legal restrictions on the type of PPP arrangement that can be entered into, relevant procurement rules for entering into PPPs, existence of restrictions on foreign investment, taxation and potential for tax holidays and the ability to assign rights such as security and step in rights to lenders.[7]

See also:Economy of the Dominican Republic
The economy of the Dominican Republic has shifted from an agricultural based one to a diversified economy where services, commerce, industry and tourism have a greater role. The contribution of agriculture to the Gross domestic product (GDP) has been declining since 1962 when it represented 32%, to only 13% in 2008. From this value, 53% correspond to livestock, fisheries and forestry. Crop production in 2000, 5% of total GDP, had a total value of U.S. $1,053 million at current prices. Agriculture, however, maintains an important role in exports and employment. Irrigated agriculture is contributing to this with nearly half of the total production. There is record increase of production in the irrigated land, but it is related more to the expansion in area rather than a marked rise in productivity. Rural population accounts for 40% of the total population and 52% of the rural population is poor.

Annual fee for irrigation services are low (varies from US $4.75/ha in some regions to US$24/ha for a farmer with less than 10 ha not cultivating rice). Water costs for a farmer only represent 0.21 to 0.58% of total production cost. Operation and Maintenance expenditure in INDRHI's Irrigation Districts for 1997 was US$6.24 million (US$35/ha) while revenues from water fees was only 14% of this value. Water fees are obviously too low to meet maintenance and operation requirements.

In May 2008 the World Bank has approved a US$80 million loan to restore and strengthen irrigation, electricity, water, and sanitation infrastructure damaged by Tropical Storms Olga and Noel, enhance critical infrastructure to reduce future storm-related impacts, and strengthen basic capacity for future risk management in INDRHI and CDEEE.[8]