Things got very heated in the Dominican Capital on Tuesday morning, as locals who were so angry at having received no water for 16 days and have also been without electricity for 3 days took to the main Duarte Highway to demonstrate and put a halt to all traffic traveling from both directions for over 5 hours.

The people who live in the Pedro Brand sector of Santo Domingo were so fed up with their complaints falling on deaf ears that they took to the Highway and barricaded it up, along with burning tires, tree trunks and broken bottles. The traffic jam went back for several kilometers.

The water company called The Santo Domingo Aqueduct Corporation has said the water shortage is due to a prolonged drought in the national territory.  They have said they will send 80 tankers full of water to the critical areas as well as build and repair more than 40 water wells that will be used to supply the Province of Santo Domingo and the National District municipalities.

After quite violent negotiations between demonstrators and National Police Generals the obstacles were eventually removed and traffic started to flow once again.