Five Million Dominicans Affected by Desertification
Seventy percent of the Dominican national territory and 5 million people are directly or indirectly affected by desertification, affirms a scientific study published here.

The Inter Institutional Technical Group (GTI) which gathers public and private environmental institutions estimated the southwest, northwest and some zones in the East are the most affected.

Ernesto Reyna, Vice Secretary for Soils and Water of the Secretary of State for the Environment and Natural Resources, denounced desertification is the result of the impact of human activities together with climatic variations.

This topic as well as the actions needed to face it will be discussed in the 5th Forum of Fight against Desertification and Drought, to be held in the country from June 20 and favored by the Convention of the United Nations to face this phenomenon.

"The wrong use and handling of the soil, together with the rain shortage and high evaporation, have caused that 70 percent of the territory of the Dominican Republic is partial or completely affected by desertification", Reyna affirmed.

That percentage affected by degradation and drought is equal to 12,895.7 square miles, where erosion processes, salinization, soil compacting, and other processes such as sterilization of extensive areas have been generated.