In Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, water management authorities are rolling out targeted operational adjustments for the nation’s key dam network, responding to updated meteorological forecasts that predict a significant rainfall deficit across the September-to-November period. The Committee for the Operation of Dams and Reservoirs (COPRE), in a weekly coordination session held at the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI) alongside the Water Observatory, formalized a modified operation framework running from September 2 to 9 that prioritizes water access for public aqueduct systems and agricultural irrigation, aligned with current storage volumes and evolving climate conditions.
Emmanuel Álvarez, a lead meteorologist with the Dominican Institute of Meteorology (Indomet), confirmed that all leading climate modeling systems align on the projection of below-average precipitation for the upcoming three-month window. He added that the already emerging rainfall deficit worsened dramatically between May and July, pushing the country into established meteorological drought conditions. This prolonged dry trend is closely linked to the ongoing strong El Niño event, which historically triggers reduced rainfall and suppressed tropical cyclone activity across the Caribbean region.
Under the newly approved operational plan, each major dam system has been assigned specific flow allocations tailored to priority needs. The interconnected Tavera-Bao-López Angostura network will continue operations centered on meeting irrigation and municipal water demands: Tavera will focus exclusively on agricultural water needs, Angostura will maintain a steady outflow of 19 cubic meters per second, and Bao will deliver 4.43 cubic meters per second to public aqueduct systems.
For the Monción dam, operations are set at 12 cubic meters per second for irrigation and 3.43 cubic meters per second for the Northwest Regional Aqueduct. Hatillo dam will hold a steady 25 cubic meters per second outflow for agricultural use, while Rincón dam will operate under strict rationing, delivering just 2.10 cubic meters per second to aqueducts. Rincón’s associated hydroelectric power plant will remain fully shut down through September 6, following the conclusion of the region’s second rice planting cycle.
In the southeastern Jigüey-Aguacate-Valdesia-Las Barías dam complex, all connected hydroelectric facilities will stay offline as a precaution related to high humidity conditions, though Valdesia dam will maintain an 8.3 cubic meters per second discharge to support regional aqueducts. At Sabana Yegua, the local hydroelectric plant will also remain idle due to excessive humidity, while Sabaneta dam will operate at 10 cubic meters per second for 18 hours daily, with the remaining six hours reserved to deliver 2 cubic meters per second to the San Juan municipal aqueduct.
Rafael Salazar, administrator of the Dominican Hydroelectric Generation Company (EGEHID), emphasized that all dam operational adjustments follow standardized, evidence-based protocols, which integrate the latest weather forecasts, measured storage levels and recorded inflow rates for each facility.
As of the latest update, authorities noted that Monción dam still holds favorable storage volumes despite very low incoming water flows, and Hatillo, Valdesia and Sabana Yegua all currently maintain adequate reserve levels. At Sabaneta, officials have already implemented restrictions to limit cultivation of water-intensive crops in the dam’s service area, in a bid to conserve available reserves.
COPRE has also called for strengthened cross-stakeholder coordination between agricultural producers, the Ministry of Agriculture and INDRHI to refine water allocation processes and encourage responsible water use as the drought persists. Moving forward, the committee will maintain continuous, real-time monitoring of hydrometeorological conditions and reservoir performance, allowing for quick operational adjustments to address emerging scenarios and protect water access for the country’s highest-priority needs.