GEO Haiti 2010

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GEO HAITI • 2010 94 water from the aquifers which supply 50% of the water of Port-au-Prince, contributes to a reduction in the water-table level, and to its salinity, because of the proximity of the sea (200 m). It has been confirmed that the annual rate of increased salinity of the aquifers of the Cul-de-Sac Plain is about 3%. The situation is so severe that some fear that the quality of the water will completely deteriorate and eventually dry up (Emmanuel et al, 2003). Moreover, other water-tables in the country, such as those in Gonaives, a town situated in the central region of the country, face a similar situation. The situation concerning water contamination is still not well documented in Haiti. However, some scientific investigations carried out in the metropolitan area have shed a harsh light on this problem. It was therefore possible to determine the presence of concentrations of lead, ranging between 40 and 90 μg/liters, in the water distributed by a public company (Emmanuel op.cit.). Also, Brasseur et al, 2002 confirmed that coliforms and Cryptosporidium oocysts could also be found in some of the water distributed throughout Port-au-Prince. The situation is more or less similar in the case of Les Cayes, as recent studies conducted there revealed the presence of Cryptosporidium sp oocysts and Giardia sp cysts (Emmanuel 2008). It should be noted that cryptosporidiosis represents 17% of the acute cases of diarrhoea seen in children under 2 years old and 30% of chronic diarrhoea in HIV-positive patients (Pape et al in Emmanuel 2008). The colour of water also serves as quality indicator, and according to information from the Government of Haiti (2008) 33 , 33% of the population consumes unclean water during the rainy season, more than 23% of people drink cloudy water, and only 42% of the population considers that it always drinks clean water. Despite insufficient national available data, especially on the poor coverage of waste and excreta elimination, there is a strong possibility that water in Haiti is contaminated, notably by bacteria of faecal origin, especially coliforms (DIMANCHE, 1999). The supply of drinking water to secondary cities is provided by the national drinking water service (SNEP), but the last bacteriological analyses date back to 1991 (Emmanuel et al, 2002). From samples of 100 ml of water taken from the 19 drinking-water systems, results showed that 5 systems had a number of faecal coliforms ranging between 1 and 5; 4 systems with a number ranging between 6 and 10; 1 system with 11; 5 systems, ranging between 21 and 25; one system with 81 (Mirgoâne), and one system with 110 (Les Cayes). 1.3 Impacts Observed 1.3.1 Increased Health Risks Serious health risks are linked to the quality of water in Haiti. Thus, “diarrhoea-related illnesses [due in part to the consumption of water contaminated by bacteria of faecal origin], still represent one of the two primary causes of death in children under 5 years of age (MSPP-PAHO/WHO, MSPP, 2004)”. Other infectious illnesses due to “faecal risk” such as cholera, typhoid, intestinal helminthiasis, intestinal protozoosis and intestinal bilharziasis still claim victims in Haiti. Studies conducted by BRAS (2005) showed the health risks for immune-depressed persons exposed to Cryptosporidium oocysts present in the water distributed in Port-au-Prince and its surroundings. Moreover, according to some sources, the chloral treatment of the drinking water distributed by the public water-distribution company is likely to cause the formation of trihalomethanes, a carcinogenic substance, due to the presence of faecal coliforms (Emmanuel et al, 2000). 33 http://www.ht.undp.org
State of the Environment Report 2010 2. Sea and Coastal Areas 2.1 Geography According to UNESCO (1998), the country has a very narrow continental shelf, measuring 5,000 km 2 . The underwater topography presents a significant incline. The 200 m isobath which forms the limit of the continental shelf is often located less than 300 m from the shoreline. The length of Haiti’s coastline is estimated to be 1,500 km (REPUBLIQUE D’HAITI, 2004). 2.2 Potential Haiti’s coastal marine heritage possesses exceptional wealth. It comprises three large ecosystems: hard bedrock occupied by reefs or coral communities, sand beds of seagrass beds, and finally the low-lying wetland coasts, and estuarial zones (Bouchon et al, 2000). Given that the country is located in a tropical zone, mangrove forests were formed in these areas. Figure 41: The coast of d’Aquin in the South Moreover, Haiti’s specific wealth in fish and coral reefs is very high. With territorial waters of more than 30,000 km 2 (REPUBLIQUE D’HAITI, 2004), which exceeds the land mass of Haiti, the country Source: Hilaire, 2007 has a strong fishing potential. In 1990, FAO estimated it to be 14,000 metric tons (Bouchon et al, 2000). The high-level productivity in the coastal and marine ecosystems of Haiti is recognized. Ottenwalder 34 confirms that “[the] estuaries [located in the central part of the country] are among the largest and most productive in the Caribbean. 2.3 Overview The crisis that exists in the sea and coastal areas of Haiti are many and varied. The overexploitation of mangrove forests and of fishery resources, urbanization, solid waste, soil erosion and the emptying of fuel tanks into the territorial waters of Haiti are mainly the determinants of this situation. Due to various types of pressure, the marine and coastal ecosystems have been severely impacted. Therefore, the mangrove forests, coral reefs and fisheries are almost completely ravaged or are in serious danger of destruction. 2.3.1 Mangroves Over the last few decades, the mangrove forests, an exclusive ecosystem of the inter-tropical zone in Haiti, have undergone excessive pressure. According to FAO (2007), they constituted only approximately 20,000 hectares in 1980, and were made up of four mangrove species (Avicennia germinans, Conocarpus erectus, Launcularia racemosa and Rhizophora mangle). Nationally, they are all suffering from an irrational exploitation. This is only slightly controlled, as there is no coastal protection in Haiti (see table below). As early as the end of the 18 th century, historical documents already referred to mangroves on the coastal strip of Haiti, as being very significant in size, both in terms of length and width (Hatzenberger, 2001). Almost all the coastal areas of the country were covered by mangroves, especially along the coast of the Haut-Cap River up to Quartier 95 34 http://unesdoc.unesco.org
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