Regarding drinkable water, infrastructure and electricity:
Before I was born and after, the DR has been a country where you either have the money to build a Cisterna or holding tanks, bought your water from a tanker during long periods of "no water service" or if poor went to the nearest water point and carry yours home...
Infrastructure: The DR doesn't collect taxes yearly on real estate like most countries, doesn't really tax income as the % required by the internal expenditure index used by other countries or tax rate system. As such, priorities and politics play an immense role in what gets funding and what doesn't. A hand-down system since our post-Bosch democracy...
Electricity: The DR had a very "stable" electrical grid pre 1990’s; it was the poor sectors that saw their electrical service switched off by the CDE due to the fact that 85% didn't pay for services, as the gov owned the general systems. Most if not all well to do sectors got electrical service with some 1 to 4 "2 to 4" hours max blackouts a month. The blackouts were themselves because some areas were linked so when power was cut to poorer areas so did the service to some well to do areas as well.
The only time when the service went off for over 5 to 10 hours was when they serviced the pelton turbines to give regular maintenance. During which time the general population was instructed before hand to collect water and do all the electrical chores before hand (those that owned washers, etc). The water collection was because the water pumps of Corasaan didn't have enough backup power plants to do the work when electricity went off.
So:
The electrical service problem in fact became worst since it was privatized and instead or services and rates improving they became among the most expensive in the world and worst services provided so far during ANY time along the history of the DR.
Dominicans that have to pay for their water know how to conserve it the most and use appropriately, unlike many developed nations because of it.
The current deforestation and contamination via garbage in our rivers and water supplies are the constant migration of Haitians that don't know any better since that's how their country works like. Santiago was once considered the cleanest City of the DR as it was the pride of the people who made sure to clean their sidewalks and well into the streets to keep it that way. One only needs to visit the poorest barrios and most coincidentally the settlements where many Haitians or Dominicans of Haitian descent make their homes to notice the piles of garbage on city corners and sidewalks nowadays...
The Metro is not something that can be just used till it falls apart as the systems require constant maintenance and oversight.
That it must be be improved goes without saying!!!!!!
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