Haiti - Environment : Massive and illegal sand mining on the banks of the Massacre River
During a reforestation operation near the border wall in Dajabón, Armando Paíno Henríquez, the Dominican Republic's Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, expressed his deep concern about the massive and illegal extraction of sand from the Massacre River by Haitians.
For several years, groups of Haitians have been going to the Massacre River with buckets. Once filled with sand, they pile it up on the riverbank, from where it is then loaded onto trucks and transported for sale throughout northern Haiti.
"The situation on the Massacre River is very worrying. It falls under international law, because the illegal activities are being carried out on the Haitian side," the Minister stated. "We just spoke with Roberto Álvarez, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and we will prepare a report for him to alert the Haitian authorities, despite the current weaknesses."
Piano Henríquez indicated that they would first try to initiate discussions with the Haitian authorities to inform them of the unprecedented extraction of natural resources in the Massacre River.
"This situation is worrying because, even if the environmental crimes are committed on the Haitian side, they obviously affect all communities, such as Dajabón and other areas. These extractions alter the riverbed, seriously threaten ecosystems, cause bank erosion, and exacerbate the risk of flooding," the Minister explained.
