GEO Haiti 2010

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122 GEO HAITI • 2010 emissions from other countries in the Caribbean region, these figures still remain relatively low. 7.1.5 Waste Disposal The insalubrious situation of the urban agglomerations, these past twenty years, had been quite unusual until then. Nowadays, waste, mostly household, is accumulated at a rate that is far higher than the one at which it can be collected. To compensate for the inefficiency of disposal services, incineration is seen in many cases as the immediate solution. It should be noted that in addition to the organic matter they contain, waste is composed of other elements which, when incinerated, can cause modifications in the composition of the atmosphere. Data is not available on gas emissions into the atmosphere, as a result of the burning of waste. However, due to the extent of this practice, it is believed that large quantities of various gases like carbon dioxide, furans and other dioxins, are emitted into the atmosphere. 7.2 Sanitary Impacts The impact of air pollution in Haiti remains little documented and the issue is not even mentioned in the most recent reports from the national health services. Several respiratory diseases are related to poor air quality. According to Holly (1999) “15% of deaths each year are caused by atrophy of the bronchi”, and SAFFACHE (2001) notes that” the presence of tens of thousands of vehicles, with poorlyadjusted engines emitting into the atmosphere [various exhaust gases], are all factors that, in addition to dust from quarries, intensify the suffering of the most vulnerable and promote the development of respiratory diseases”. However, the lack of interest with respect to the problem should not prevent its due attention. With respect to the health problems in urban areas, air quality deserves special attention. 54 PNUD, 2008-2009. Gonaïves, relèvement immédiat. Rapport consolidé. 7.3 Significant Impact on Resources The consequences of air pollution on the environment and natural resources, resulting from human activities, are enormous, and the concentration of greenhouse gases causes significant climate change in poor countries, more vulnerable and generally unequipped to deal with the problem. The climatic occurrences in 2008 in Haiti have shown that the country is not immune to atmospheric disturbances. In fact, these disturbances are rising. The increased intensity and frequency of storms are not without consequences, which include among others: the exacerbation of land degradation (between 1.5 million and 1.8 million cubic meters of silt 54 deposited in Gonâves, following the 2008 storms); the loss of habitat for aquatic species due to sedimentation; and the reduced quality of water (around 4,700 water wells rendered unsafe in this city in 2008). As mentioned by UNDP in the World Report on Human Development (2008) “The Struggle against Climate Change: a Plea for Human solidarity in a divided world”, one cannot neglect the role that Greenhouse gas emissions play in global warming, on one hand, and then their consequences on the increasing severity of extreme events, on the other. In Haiti, some weather phenomena, including natural disasters seem to have intensified. The CO 2 produced mainly from fossil fuel and deforestation, constitutes the anthropogenic element which most influences the climate change phenomenon, due to its strong atmospheric concentration (in relation to other Greenhouse gas emissions) and also due to the time it remains in the atmosphere. In this regard, Haiti seems to be better positioned than some other countries in the Caribbean region, in particular, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, that emit, respectively, the highest amounts of CO 2 in the region (Figure 68).
State of the Environment Report 2010 Millions of tons 30 000 25 000 20 000 15 000 10 000 5 000 0 Figure 68: Total amounts of CO 2 emission by some countries in the Caribbean 55 Cuba Guyana Haiti Jamaica Dominican Republic 8. Constructions and Sanitation Trinidad & Tobago Rapid population growth puts significant pressure on resources, in many ways. For example, excessive land parcelling leads to subsistence-farming, incapable of answering to the basic food requirements of farmers, and unregulated constructions on very steep slopes obstruct ravines. Such human activities heighten the country’s vulnerability to natural disasters. Research and data also show that the rapid degradation is the result of unenforced standards and the State’s weak control of these. According to Colbert (2006), poverty, unchecked deforestation, the incapacity of the State institutions and the lack of ecological awareness on the part of a larger part of the population have plunged the main cities into a serious environmental stagnation which compromises all attempts at viable socioeconomic development. The region of Port-au-Prince and other large cities such as Gonaives, Cap-Haïtien and Les Cayes suffer from the consequences of rural exodus and demographical pressure, including a lack of infrastructure in the health, energy, transportation, educational and communication sectors. These cities, with more than half of the population of Haiti, therefore lack the capacity to promote the development of their respective communities. Many institutions are involved in territorial planning, particularly the Ministries of Planning and External Cooperation (MPCE), of the Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT), of Public Works, Transport and Communication (TPTC), of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), of the Environment (MDE) and of Economy and Finance (MEF), as well as of the Presidency and Prime Minister’s Office through a new agency known as CIAT (Inter-Ministerial Land Planning Committee) created on March 19, 2009. The Committee has been given authority in matters of territorial management, urban planning, sanitation, equipment, water resource and watershed management and safety. Decentralised State services and NGO’s are also likely to be involved in the issue. 8.1 Urban development Additionally, highways, under this new socioeconomic-urban division, favour the wealthier and industrial sectors and relegate the construction of dwellings in the poorer neighbourhoods and slums to the northeast, an area which suffers from inadequate drainage systems. The map below (Figure 69) shows the development of areas surrounding Portau-Prince, which have practically doubled in size between 1956 and 1998, especially in the east and northwest, following the direction of highways. In 2002, the most urgent urban needs the city had to solve mainly involved the north and northeast zones of the capital, and less along the highway leading to Kenskoff. The city of Cap-Haïtien, originally called Cap- Français (1697, Treaty of Ryswick), was quite important during the French colonisation, and 123 55 http://www.bme.gouv.ht
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