Prior to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, their water was already questionable. Ever since the earthquake, sanitation issues in the water exploded and caused many diseases. Sanitation issues in Haiti are still occurring today. More than 7000 people have died from cholera, which is caused by unsanitized water. 530,000 people have gotten sick because of this issue, making it the gravest issue in Haiti right now.
Haiti is a small country with a population of 11.3 million. 52% of people live in rural areas and only 48% of people live in urban areas. The government in Haiti is a semi-presidential republic. Around two-thirds of Haiti’s land is cultivated, and Haiti’s major exports are apparel, cocoa, coffee, and vegetable oils. The major crops are cassava, maize, coffee, plantains, and bananas. The average farm size is about 2.5 acres, which is around the size of two football fields. The rainy season in Haiti is from July to November and the dry season is from December to June. The humidity is especially high during the rainy season. Floods are common with larger rain storms, and August is the hottest month of the year. Northern areas have more rainfall year-round, while southern countries have more extreme rainfall.
In urban areas in Haiti, families typically have 3-4 children, while in rural areas there may be up to 10 children. The majority of housing in Haiti contains 2 rooms built with mud walls and floors. The roofs are typically thatched with local palm trees or grasses. The windows have wooden shutters and no window panes. Most homes have outdoor kitchens and no electricity or running water. The restrooms are outhouses/latrines a bit far from the dwelling and they are very unsanitary and unsafe as they spread diseases like cholera. Typical foods eaten in Haiti are sweet potatoes, cassava, yams, corn, pigeon peas, and cowpeas. Mangoes, pineapples, bananas, and citrus fruits are eaten as snacks or desserts. Meat is eaten, but more by the wealthy and only on special occasions. The most common meals are soups and rice dishes. Haitians usually grow their own food, and cook it with firewood and charcoal. Most Haitian jobs are working on family farms. The men raise the crops and the women do domestic labor. The average wage in Haiti is less than $2.50 per day. Education in Haiti starts at age 6 and usually goes to the age of 11 (not required to go any later). However, only a small portion of Haitian children attend school because of a lack of staff and money, as well as the need to help out on the farms. Plus, the cost of education is unbearable for most Haitians at $75 annually. Access to health care is not easy. Many people have to walk on foot and then wait outside for service. There are 25 physicians and 11 nurses per 100,000 people in the population. Healthcare is cheap in Haiti, but very poor. The Haitian government only spends $83 annually on it. There is a lack of access to clean water and electricity in Haiti. Typical toilets are holes dug into the ground which are very unsanitary. Haitians can only have telephones if they can afford them, which few people can. The roads in Haiti are unmarked and unpaved. There are about 36 cars per 1,000 Haitians. Haitians do have access to local markets because many of them grow, eat, and sell their own food. Deforestation, poor weather, poor soil content, and economic downfall are just some of the reasons that Haiti families face trouble getting nutritious food and making a living.
The outbreak of disease because of sanitation issues started in 2010 after a major earthquake. The earthquake created about eight billion dollars in damage, however, over time this cost of damages has increased up to 14 billion dollars. Haiti’s sewage system was mostly destroyed after the earthquake, so the existing sewage system is unsanitary; many people use the restroom out in the open. The open waste flows into the water and causes diseases. Today, cholera and other diseases are present, but death rates are improving. Following 2011, death rates declined because of improving sanitation in Haiti. There has been improved access to clean water in Haiti and cholera treatment centers have been established to help those that have been affected. While access to clean water has improved, it is still not enough to majorly help the country because it is not sustainable. Rural and urban populations are both affected by water and sanitation issues. These issues lead to cholera outbreaks majorly in both urban and rural areas. Women have a higher risk of a worse case of sanitation disease because they come in contact with water more because of their chores. For example, women typically take care of sick families, clean the latrines, get and use dirty water, and have to prepare raw food that is usually contaminated. The elderly are more susceptible to diseases because of sanitation issues compared to adults because their bodies are more fragile. Among children, boys tend to have more cases of disease from unsanitized water which is the opposite of adults. Also, children have a bigger risk of getting cholera or other diseases due to sanitation issues. The unsanitized water in Haiti affects all populations the same, everyone has to use the water often because it is a necessity for life. Dirty water is everywhere in Haiti, and there are no good ways of avoiding or getting rid of it. It affects the environment because this is where the water comes from. In addition to this, the unsanitized water is harming Haiti's crops. With clean water, better-quality crops could be grown.
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To fix their water, Haiti’s government is currently collaborating with Direction Nationale de l’Eau Potable et de l’Assainissement, known as DINEPA. They are trying to find available resources and address the issues that have to do with Haiti’s dirty water. DINEPA is currently helping Haiti’s water situation, but not enough people are focused on fixing this issue. Something that can be improved with this issue is the amount of attention it is getting, as clean water should be the number one priority.
Nicaragua is currently fixing its water sanitation problems with the use of ceramic water filters. These are cheaper than most solutions and can be made with local materials in Nicaragua. The filters protect against 99.88% of water-borne diseases that come from unsafe water in the country. Making and using these filters would be appropriate in Haiti because they are cost-effective and useful, even though they are low-tech items. Plus, the filters could be made with local materials. The solutions would meet the needs of the Haitian population because although Haiti is very poor, this is one thing that is more affordable. The only issue would be the cost of setting up a facility that makes these filters. Because of this, an initiative should be set up to teach Haitians about the issues with their water and what they can do individually to help themselves. Plus, Haitians can be taught how to create their own ceramic water filters to help themselves instead of large and expensive factories. Lots of solutions would be effective, but many of them are too expensive for such a poor country – even the cheapest solutions are too expensive. With this initiative, a smaller amount of money is spent and Haitians can learn about why their water is unusable. After the Haitians learn this, they can find ways to change what they are doing and fix the everlasting problem of unsanitized water. This plan does not affect any cultural norms of Haitians because clean water is a necessity and finding a way to get it and avoid diseases from it should be a priority in Haiti.
The community, government, and organizations such as Potters for Peace and Direction Nationale de l’Eau Potable et de l’Assainissement (DINEPA) would need to partner and collaborate in order to make this plan successful. Potters for Peace is a non-profit organization that comes to countries and unites the communities to teach them how to help their water issues. They hold water filter training courses in the countries that they visit and teach locals how to make ceramic water filters that help clean and disinfect the water that is poured into them. If Potters for Peace came to Haiti, they could facilitate the training of the population to create filters and teach them about the dangers of polluted water. DINEPA’s goal is to develop a national policy for the sanitation of Haiti’s water.
The government could collaborate with Potters for Peace and DINEPA in order to make this a successful plan. This would help because Potters for Peace and DINEPA would motivate the government to stick to the plan and keep trying to fix the water and sanitation issues, as that is each organization’s goal right now. Haiti cannot afford to get new technology or build anything that could help them, so this is the most effective solution. Ideally, the World Bank, DINEPA, and the Haitian government would partner in order to fund the educational program to help Haitians learn about the issues with their water. A policy that would need to be put in place is for the government to commit to trying to fix the issue of unsanitized water and create a better partnership with organizations that can help. This project can be sustainable as long as Haiti has clear goals to fix its water. Also, Haiti would need ample support from organizations, the government, and maybe even other countries.
In conclusion, Haiti has had severe water issues for more than ten years now. In order to fix this, change is necessary. DINEPA and Potters for Peace are organizations that can help Haiti commit to a solution and bring them back up from the bottom. Fixing the water in Haiti will create a more sustainable and healthier life for Haitians all around.
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