Is this canal technically feasible?
Hello all! Apologies if this is the wrong sub for asking this question, but I would like to ask a technical question about an irrigation canal that is being build in Haiti close to the border with the Dominican Republic. There is a dispute between both countries about it, which is in the news but I'm only interested in the technical aspect. I have no knowledge about hydrology (my degree is computer science) but people I know tell me that the canal is not going to work for its intended purpose.
I have a recent photo of the canal and a short drone video that I'll post below for your review; the purpose of the canal is to take water from the Dajabón/Massacre river that form the northern boundary between both countries in the island of Hispaniola to irrigate farmland in Haiti. These are the coordinates of where the canal is being built:
19.566076264002817, -71.72461530349999
Although it doesn't show in Google maps; below is a drone shot that I got from here and there's a short video that shows the same area in this post. From comments in the last link it is alleged that the water cannot flow from the river into the canal without either water pumps or a dam on the river. All the information I have is what I have discussed here, there are no studies available regarding the construction of the canal.
Are you guys able to provide an educated guess of the feasibility of this canal working of its intended purpose?
Thanks!
Water News 
