With an amount of RD$13,630,605.30, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) began the works of restructuring and construction of works in external areas of the larimar mine, located in the municipality of Bahoruco, in the province of Barahona, to improve the working conditions of miners in this area.
The infrastructure project, in charge of the Vice Ministry of Mines, is part of the first phase of intervention of the mine and with it seeks to have greater control of access to the deposit in order to reduce risks during mining operations.
The Director of Technical Management of the MEM, José Mauricio Hernández, on behalf of Minister Antonio Almonte, explained that the works to be carried out by the contractor include the restructuring of a ship that will become a military detachment and a technical office that will work permanently to accompany the miners in their operations through the General Directorate of Mining, an institution attached to the MEM.
He said that, in addition, a security checkpoint will be built with an access gate to register the entrances and exits to the mine areaas well as two kitchen areas with dining rooms and bathrooms with dressing rooms to improve the quality of the miners’ work.
The General Director of Mining, Rolando Muñoz, expressed that it is a initiative of President Luis Abinader, accepted by Minister Almonte, to rehabilitate the larimar mine so that the workers of this semi-precious stone have better life opportunities and can carry out their work with due safety.
"The use of larimar must be related to the improvement of the conditions of the miners, who with their industriousness have made larimar the Dominican national stone."said.
When you go to the activity dozens of miners expressed their satisfaction at the start of these works which, they said, will give greater security to the larimar extraction workers and will attract investors to financially support this activity.
"What this project represents for the community of Bahoruco and for the mining activity is something unprecedented, because something called ‘the rescue of larimar mining’ had never been done, which has to do with security and miners hygiene"said the president of the Board of Directors of the Larimar Philippines Cooperative, Juan Francisco Félix.
The event ended with the formal delivery of the construction plans to the company Constructora EISA so that it can start the work.
