Haiti has struggled with challenges of clean water for decades. The problem was further exacerbated by the devastating earthquake that hit the country in 2010. The disaster destroyed most of the country’s infrastructure, including water distribution conduit pipes. Only 24% of Haiti citizens have access to clean water (World Bank, 2015). The situation is worse in rural areas where the distribution of water is an issue. Most of the water distribution stations set up in the rural areas are dysfunctional due to lack of funds for maintenance. Most families in these areas bath in the natural water sources, hence increasing the risk of diseases like cholera. As the country continues to grapple with the water problem, many families are adversely affected by the problem leading to recurrent disease outbreaks. The Haiti government and humanitarian organizations have led a concerted effort to increase clean water access to the affected population. This paper will assess the effect of the clean water problem to Haitians, the government and international organizations effort to tackle the problem and suggestions on the best practices to deal with the problem.
Effects of the Problems on the Lives of Haitians
Water as a basic need makes its availability essential for the survival and well-being of Haitians. Lack of clean water has far-reaching effects on the daily lives of the people. Sanitation and clean water are two aspects that exist in correlation. Lack of clean water has the effect of low hygienic standards on general populations, and Haiti is not unique. Haiti’s sanitation levels are 17%, way below the regional average of 80% in the Western hemisphere (Gelting, Bliss, Patrick, Lockhart, & Handzel, 2013). Such low standards of sanitation are at par with the levels in underdeveloped nations in Africa. The main contributor to these low sanitation standards is poor access to clean water. Poor sanitation creates an environment conducive for the spread of diseases like cholera and dysentery.
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The 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti was a result of lack of clean drinking water. The earthquake that hit the country at the beginning of the year destroyed most of the water distribution stations and channels (Gelting, Bliss, Patrick, Lockhart, & Handzel, 2013). Furthermore, thousands of people were displaced from their homes and lived in camps. Inadequate or lack of supply of clean drinking water caused the emergence of cholera. Concentrated settlements with lack of clean drinking water provided the perfect conditions for cholera to spread. The cholera epidemic in Haiti prompted a fast response from the government and humanitarian organizations to contain the situations. Mortality rates peaked in the early months of the epidemic, but the situation was controlled. Experts claim that cholera cannot be eliminated in Haiti without improvement in access to clean water. This assertion underlines the need to provide clean drinking water to curb the spread of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
Furthermore, challenges in accessing drinking water affect the social and economic aspects of the citizens of Haiti. Easy access to clean drinking water allows more time and resources to engage in other economic activities. Consequently, the livelihoods of the people are improved in situations where there is access to clean water. Countries or regions with problematic access to clean water are inherently underdeveloped with most of the population living below the poverty line. Thus, challenges in clean water access are impediments to economic development. Again, the living standards of the people are affected by these problems. Constant disease outbreaks put a strain on the resources of the families through medical care. Such families are unlikely to improve their livelihoods since they spend most of their time and resources in seeking medical help for the sick. Therefore, water access challenges not only affect the health of Haitians through disease outbreaks like cholera and dysentery, but the challenges also stagnate the economic development of the nation.
Government Response
However, government efforts together with international organizations are working to improve the situation in Haiti. The government of Haiti acknowledges that the 2010 earthquake does not entirely cause the water problem but supply gradually deteriorated from the 90s (Ministry of Public Health and Population, 2013, p. 16). The situation is largely due to underfunding of the bodies responsible for distributing water in communities and homes. Poor management and lack of strategy is also a problem in the water supply sector that the government acknowledges. Furthermore, the government identifies the need to have clean water flowing in taps in both urban and rural areas.
Thus, management issues are addressed through the integration of the activities of the three bodies that are responsible for the supply of clean water. The Metropolitan Water Supply Authority (CAMEP) concentrates its effort in the capital; the National Water Supply Service (SNEP) carries out its activities countrywide while the ministry of public health and Sanitation coordinates the activities of the two bodies (Ministry of Public Health and Population, 2013). Government lobbying has ensured the funding problem is partly mitigated through sourcing funds amounting to over $30 million that will be used to repair damaged water stations and pipes. The funds will be utilized in ensuring uninterrupted supply of clean water in schools, health centres and other public places. The government believes that clean water supply in these vital places sets the foundation for increase distribution channels to communities. The budgetary allocation for water infrastructure has also increased. Clean water supply is among the government's primary plans of eliminating cholera in Haiti by 2022.
Additionally, the Haiti government has a laid down plan to increase access to clean water for both city and urban dwellers. Under the government's plan, all households are required to be connected with piped water (Gelting, Bliss, Patrick, Lockhart, & Handzel, 2013). Through this ambitious long-term plan, the Haiti government projects that access to clean drinking water will eliminate all diseases that are related to poor hygienic standards. However, the main challenge hindering the implementation of this project is lack of funds. Haiti's national budget is already strained with the need to develop various areas of infrastructure. As a result, the government is short of funds to implement the water access projects fully. However, concentration on the vital areas like schools and health centres where many people can access the water is proving successful. Intense lobbying for funding from foreign governments also contributes a huge percentage of the funds used to develop water infrastructure. Therefore, the government's commitment to ensuring Haitians have access to clean drinking water can't be faulted.
The response of International Organizations
The 2010 earthquake brought to the attention the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Months later a new cholera epidemic emerged due to lack of clean water in most areas of the country. Efforts to contain the cholera epidemic brought to the fore the poor water access conditions in the country. Thus, several international organizations made available funds and personnel to mitigate the water crisis in Haiti. The World Bank identified the need for clean drinking and household water due to contamination of the available water sources. Thus, the organization set out to create connections to homes and other public facilities. Over 100,000 Haitians have already benefited from the project which also includes water kiosks (World Bank, 2015). The program also targets existing piping and stations which have stalled due to lack of maintenance. The World Bank provides funds and experts to carry out repairs in these stations and piping systems which mostly supply rural areas. These repairs are estimated to increase the supply of clean water to rural communities where over 60,000 people have already benefited.
The United Nations, as the world leading humanitarian organization, has made its contribution in alleviating human suffering in Haiti due to lack of access to clean drinking water. The UN's clean water supply project in Haiti is focused on providing clean drinking water to assist in the elimination of cholera and other water-borne diseases (UN, 2016, p. 5). The UN identifies the need for families and communities to have access to clean drinking water to improve their livelihoods. UNICEF is working with over 117 communities in Haiti to improve clean water access in rural areas (UN, 2016). The water project also targets areas that are at a higher risk of cholera outbreaks and supplying water to schools and health facilities in these areas. The uniqueness of UNICEF's campaign is that a follow-up plan is in place to assess the impact of the project on the community and also challenges.
Equally industrious in their efforts to supply disadvantaged populations in Haiti with clean water is the Pure Water for the World organization. The organization concentrates its efforts in supplying schools, orphanages, medical facilities and disadvantaged communities (Purewaterfortheworld.org, 2015). The organization is working closely with the government in the WASH project to ensure that the targets for eliminating cholera by 2022 are achieved. The organization also offers training to individuals from all over the country on how to improve water access in their communities. Haiti has numerous water sources, but most of them are contaminated due to human activity hence the water is not safe for drinking. Thus. Pure Water for the World encourages treatment of the water to make it safe before drinking. The organizations also [plans to major in individual families in solving the problem of clean water. Thus, the efforts of this organization together with others is positively impacting on the lives of Haitians by improving access to clean water.
Hence, the efforts of both the Haiti government and international organizations is essential in improving the living standards in the country. However, the impact of these efforts varies although the desired outcome is the same. Since Haiti’s water supply projects mostly depend on foreign funding, it is no surprise that UNICEF’s effort is felt the most in the country. UNICEF is a well-funded body with vast networks and experience in humanitarian work. Thus, their work in Haiti targeting communities, schools and health centres is plausible. Over 329,800 people have directly benefited from UNICEF's work in communities. The organization's strategies also ensure that the needs of the communities are well-taken care. Despite the success of UNICEF, other organizations are also needed in the work since water access levels in Haiti remain low.
Similarly, alternative ideas may prove useful in improving the water situation in Haiti. Since the main problem is access to clean drinking water, the ideas may focus on purifying the available water before use. Community initiated projects may prove helpful in such cases. Families or individuals within the community may pool resources to set up water treatment plants that supply clean water to the community. Though the initial cost is slightly high, the benefits are long term. Water harvesting and storage is also an efficient method of improving access to clean water. Water is harvested and stored in dams and used in times of scarcity. Thus, improving access to clean water in Haiti requires the effort of government, international organizations and communities.
References
Dreibelbis, R., Winch, P. J., Leontsini, E., Hulland, K. R., Ram, P. K., Unicomb, L., & Luby, S. P. (2013). The integrated behavioural model for water, sanitation, and hygiene: a systematic review of behavioural models and a framework for designing and evaluating behaviour change interventions in infrastructure-restricted settings. BMC public health, 13(1) , 1015-1026.
Gelting, R., Bliss, K., Patrick, M., Lockhart, G., & Handzel, T. (2013). Water, sanitation and hygiene in Haiti: past, present, and future. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 89(4) , 2013.
Ministry of Public Health and Population. (2013). National Plan for the Elimination of Cholera in Haiti 2013-2022. Retrieved on 19 March 2018 from, https://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/national-plan-elimination-cholera-haiti-2013-2022.
Purewaterfortheworld.org. (2015). Our Work in Haiti. Pure Water for the World. Retrieved on 19 March 2018 from,
https://purewaterfortheworld.org/where-we-work/haiti/.
UN. (2016). United Nations Response to Cholera in Haiti . Retrieved on 19 March 2018 from, http://www.un.org/News/dh/infocus/haiti/CholeraFactsheetAug2016.pdf.
World Bank. (2015, May 27). 5 Things You Need to Know About Water in Haiti. The World Bank. Retrieved on 19 March 2018 from, http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/05/27/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-water-in-haiti
