11/16/2004
print
send
As if an ongoing civil war and the constant threat of hurricanes weren’t enough,
Haiti faces an even greater problem: the lack of drinking water.
“More often than not, I feel incredibly thirsty. But I’m used to not drinking”,
says Jean Luc, a young man who’s lucky to have a job, but at the same time unlucky
in having to work under the sun all day. He’s a hodman and is, as such, pretty
thirsty all day. “I try to get along. I think it’s worse for you, Blan. You have
a chance to drink when you’re home. We’ve had to get used to being without water”
.
A campaign against this kind of situation is led by missionaries. With no water,
food quality is consequently affected too. It’s not advisable to eat in the little
restaurants which line the streets. Most certainly, all the food and drinks served
here have been prepared with the dirty water found on the premises.
What’s more, due to the virtual non-existence of sewage system, it’s easy to
find cafes which look out on open-air drainage gutters. With obvious consequences.
“Health conditions are truly at risk” say representatives from the Red Cross,
“there is no water, and no-one really committed to finding it. This causes imports
of mineral water from U.S. multinationals to soar, creating an economic imbalance
too. Many people can’t afford to buy bottled water, and are forced to drink low
grade water. The Red Cross is really struggling to keep health issues under control”.
printsend
Despite hurricane Jeanne, Haiti is still thirsty
from our correspondent
Alessandro Grandi
Alessandro Grandi
As if an ongoing civil war and the constant threat of hurricanes weren’t enough,
Haiti faces an even greater problem: the lack of drinking water.The civil war which has long disrupted Haiti’s peace still shows no sign of subsiding.
Hurricane Jeanne, which has hit the Country with all its devastating power, bringing
misery to what was already regarded as one of the poorest countries in the world,
has left indelible signs.
It is now virtually impossible to find drinking water on the island. Water does
exist underground, but it is salty, and there are no water purifiers. The cost
of transporting water from neighbouring countries is unsustainable, so people
are forced to resort to their own Remedies.
In towns with a high population density, like Port au Prince (the capital), Port
de Paix (in the north), Cap Haitien (in the central part of the country), it’s
not uncommon to see people drinking from plastic bags. They are cheap and handy
containers, which can be bought from stalls on the streets. Their contents, approximately
16 ozs., can quench one person’s thirst. However, this situation cannot last for
much longer.
Drinking from taps is not risk-free, especially outside towns. Pipes, where they
exist, cannot guarantee a sufficient level of hygiene. That said, water is offered
free of charge – and free from health risks - in the upper-crust restaurants of
Petion Ville, the richest area in Port-au-Prince.
But how can such a green, lush country, be lacking in drinking water?
The answer is simple: the water is there, although it can’t be seen. Deep down
underground, there are water-bearing strata, which give out pure, unpolluted water.
The problem is, the country’s government has never done anything to exploit this
resource properly. After all, it’s been thirty years since the country even had
a proper government.
“More often than not, I feel incredibly thirsty. But I’m used to not drinking”,
says Jean Luc, a young man who’s lucky to have a job, but at the same time unlucky
in having to work under the sun all day. He’s a hodman and is, as such, pretty
thirsty all day. “I try to get along. I think it’s worse for you, Blan. You have
a chance to drink when you’re home. We’ve had to get used to being without water”
.None of the country’s governments have ever thought about solving this problem,
so people have learnt to make do. For example, by collecting rainwater and filtering
it. The salty water is only used for washing. “Normally, it would be easy to solve
this kind of problem on an island. A desalination plant, or a dam, which collected
water from the two Haitian rivers, would be enough. An even better solution would
be to reach the underground springs, such as the one (a chance find) which surfaces
at Haut Turgeau, a mountain back to back with the capital Port au Prince. This
particular spring gives out freshwater of an excellent quality”, say representatives
from the Red Cross quarters in Port au Prince.
“In the last months, our work has concentrated on this too: the water emergency.
Haiti has been lucky this year, as it has rained quite a lot, and the rainwater
reserves have been enough. But had it not rained as much, Haitians would have
found themselves in deep trouble.
Nevertheless, it’s not uncommon to find kids, and adults too, collecting water
from rainwater puddles. Or to see small children walk miles to the nearest well.
In these cases, the water is dirty, thick with insects and infectious. Health
conditions inevitably take a turn for the worst. And it’s women who suffer from
the resulting infections most.
A campaign against this kind of situation is led by missionaries. With no water,
food quality is consequently affected too. It’s not advisable to eat in the little
restaurants which line the streets. Most certainly, all the food and drinks served
here have been prepared with the dirty water found on the premises.
Topic:
Related articles:
Most discussed topics:
Most frequently used keywords:
