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Dominican Republic is a country geographically exposed to the potential impact of multiple threats (hurricanes, tropical storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc) causing recurrent devastating human and material loss. Although DR is middle-income country the country it suffers from high inequality. A significant percentage of the population accesses its water from unsafe sources, and this percentage increases following natural disasters. After Hurricane Sandy hit the island in October 2013, public health conditions deteriorated, causing a significant increase in the incidence of diarrheal diseases.
Six months after the hurricane, Oxfam and its partner CEDESO conducted an EMMA on the chlorine market system and the capacity of governmental institutions to supply the population in the case of emergency. This document presents a brief overview of this EMMA.
The EMMA study found that, within 15 days after a natural disaster like Sandy, the provincial departments of public health in the DR are able to produce enough chlorine to supply the population, and the private sector is a key player to ensure distribution to remote communities.