Rainfall, drought and climate change in the Dominican Republic
By: Hector Rodriguez, the National Institute of Water Resources (INDRHI) of the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic climate change impacts in the rainy seasons have caused a change in patterns throughout the year. Also periods of drought have changed, with estimates that its impact will be greater in the coming decades, due to the phenomenon.
rainfall at some stations have moved to other months, for example, June and December, according to statistics from recent years. In some regions
the country recorded significant unbalances between natural resources, population and basic needs. The imbalances are more pronounced and noticeable in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid.
arid and semiarid regions comprise 18% of the land surface and are characterized by a negative water balance most of the year.
As a result of climate change, extreme events become more violent, both in the intensity of droughts and heavy rainfall. It is expected that the most pessimistic scenario, in terms of future water availability takes as its counterpart a significant decrease the impact of hurricanes on the national geography.
Before the 60, the intensity of precipitation used in the design of hydraulic structures was 60 mm / h. After Hurricane David, 1979, this estimate was lower than the carrying value of 80 mm / h, in Guayabal, Padre Las Casas, between 23 and 24 hours of the passage of the phenomenon. During Hurricane Georges, was recorded in Plato's The Villa Nizao a precipitation of 104 mm / h between 00 and 01 hours a day 09/23/1998. The figures indicate that in 50 years the weight of the maximum rainfall intensity for the design of hydraulic works in the country has increased by 40%.
Related Link:
Climate Change - GFDD
Seminar on Climate Change and its impact on the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean, Santo Domingo April 20, 2006.
Presentations (PDF)
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