Solution to the flood of the Enriquillo pose

While different official, academic institutions and international cooperation agencies are studying the reasons why the Enriquillo Lake has several years climbing level, process which has been occupying thousands of tasks that were formerly dedicated to agriculture and animal husbandry, University Professor Luis Mejía focuses on applying existing technology to ensure a solution to the problemIt has sapped their way of life to many families and that it threatens to displace them from their home communities

Mejia, who is research professor of the Faculty of engineering of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), considers that the most suitable solution is not the relocation of persons efectadas, as raised by the national authorities, but stop the expansion of the Lake and restore it to its natural level.

"Saw that 33 thousand tasks were filling to relocate farmers." However, u000aWe think that this negative situation can seize it and turn it into positive. So far everyone has spoken of moving: it moves to communities and producers, and for that you need a great investment. "They (the community) also say that 33 thousand tasks are not sufficient," exposes.

In this tenor, argues that if in the place is built and put in operation a desalination water plant, using membrane technology, would bring down the level of the waters and at the same time generated energy, water for agriculture in the area and would occur until salt that would be marketed on the national market.

Mejía spoke from his training as a chemical engineer: "We refer to a balance in the area." What goes builds up or out. What's happening with the level of the salt concentration of the Lake? That figure would give us an idea where it comes from water that is entering. It may be that not u000a"only an excess of water that enters the Lake, can be an evaporation problem, given that the Lake has another drainage that evaporation", exposes.

To obtain conclusions in this regard, indicates that two students of chemical engineering of the UASD, Randolf Recio and Jonathan caves, are collecting samples in the Lake. "We want to determine the level of salinity of the Lake, for which we use a conductímetro", he added, while it shows the instrument and explains its operation.

Pointed out that they are also raising other information, such as the number of people affected, the availability of land for reguío and the surplus water volume.

Refers to other information, such as speed and direction of wind, temperature and precipitation in the area, used in the formulation of the proposal available in Ofi cina national of meteorology (Onamet).

Aspects of its proposal
Professor poses that u000abecause of the high salinity of the water of the Lake, it cannot be used for domestic, agricultural and livestock work.

"The membrane technology is being used throughout the world to eliminate salts when there is no available fresh water." "Such a system are obtained two types of water: desalinated completely, which can be used for the reguío, and with a higher concentration of salt", with which later would produce salt.

Express that to obtain fresh water could be added energy production, for which the structure must be built to a height that there is a jump that allows the generation.

That same energy would serve to operate the desalination plant and to supply local demand part.

With respect to the amount of water that would be used in the process, said that you will depend on the level agreed for the Lake, which should be its natural rate.

"Is an area which has problems" u000aenergy and does not have enough water for irrigation. I think the main benefit CIOs is that people stay on your site. All the others are collateral cios benefit. Imagine, people who have all his life living there and suddenly tell him that he has to go. "Control the level of water is the principal benefit CIOs for people is not transferred", emphasizes.

Mejía notes that you as any proposal, it needs an analysis of feasibility that should contemplate the eventuality that the Lake no longer grow in the near future: "That's a risk that must be seen in the project", stated.

On the operation of the plant, explains that the water, using a pumping system, "passes through the membrane and moves to a higher level so that you take the leap and there is the hydroelectric generation".

Recognized that the State must make a strong investment in the construction of the desalination plant, which will u000aHe offset the benefit cios to be gained with it, the most important thing that people should not abandon their communities.

Desalination process
A desalination plant using membrane technology is comprised of decision-making, pre-treatment, membranes, after-treatment and drain work. The desalination process begins with the uptake of salt water by tube collectors installed on the bottom of the Sea (in the case of Lake Enriquillo is place at the bottom of it) and its transportation to the area of pre-treatment, where suspended solids are separated and a chemical - sodium hypochlorite - is added to remove bacteria and other micro organisms present in the water.

Then the filtering stages are made through sand filters and coagulating, and microfibre ltrado, where fi lters special of cartridge containing activated carbon and other products are used u000aable to retain the remaining microimpurezas.

The most important stage is the passage of water through the membranes of reverse osmosis, which are responsible for converting salt in fresh water. They are placed inside a tube, seven semipermeable membranes that allow only the output of the molecules of water, retaining the salts in porous media.

The result are two types of water desalinated and with high levels of salinity, called brine.

Finally, is passed to the stage of pos-tratamiento and deposit, where the water is remineralizada in such a way that is suitable for human consumption. The excess brine, before returning it to the sea must be diluted and dissolved to avoid that it affects aquatic life. http://blog.nuestroclima.com/?p=1696.

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INVESTIGAN why SE ELEVA EL level of Lake
the National Institute of water resources (Indrhi) investigates the u000acauses of raising the level of Lake Enriquillo, with the assistance of the international agency of energy Atomic (IAEA) of the United Nations and the International Centre for the management integrated in the resource water of the army of the United States (USACE), after which intends to propose a solution to the problem.

Was a mission of the American military entity in the country, working with the technicians of the national water agency in the area of the Lake in September 2011.

The official entity also sponsored end of 2011 visit the country from the specialist in desalination of seawater, Dr. Maria Keneddy Institute of education on the water of the United Nations Organization for education, science and culture (UNESCO-IHE), headquartered in the Netherlands, who exposed the conveniences of plants to obtain freshwater water desalinization marina.

Meanwhile, the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo u000aDomingo (Intec), also develops a research on the problem of the Lake, together with the City College of New York (CCNY), entities that last August yielded a first preliminary report which indicate that after analyzing the climate records in the zone, they conclude that the expansion of the Lake is due to effects of climate change.

In the report concern that in 1984 the Enriquillo Lake had an area of 276 square kilometres (km2), which is reduced to 165 km2 in 2004, and that since that time it has grown to occupy 333 km2 in 2009. They indicate that similar behavior has had the Saumatre Lake, located in Haiti. Both bodies of water make up the transboundary aquifer system of Los Lagos.

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