Blog #3 Clean and Sanitation: Haiti

 


The next country I will be focusing on is Haiti, which joined the United Nations on October 24, 1945. Haiti is a country with many issues and challenges; however, one of the main challenges is having access to sustainable water and sanitation. Limited water and sanitation services and poor hygiene practices can result in high levels of diarrheal disease and malnutrition throughout Haiti. Also, this issue has contributed to the spread of the cholera epidemic that began in Haiti in October 2010, resulting in more than 9,000 deaths (Globalwaters).

Furthermore, the total population in Haiti is eleven million people; however, sixty-five percent of Haitians have access to basic water sources, and thirty-five percent of Haitians have access to basic sanitation. The main challenges in achieving sustainable water and sanitation are limited government capacity, lower user demand for improved water and sanitation services, lack of finances, and geographic vulnerability to natural disasters (Globalwaters). Currently, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) developed the Haiti Country Plan to address these challenges by building water and sanitation infrastructure and increasing the practice of hygiene behaviors. 

Haiti is highly vulnerable to climate change such as frequent hurricanes, flooding, drought, and severe soil erosion. Therefore, the supply and quality of water resources are limited because of these reoccurring natural disasters. The issue of clean water and sanitation became worse after the massive earthquake in 2010 because it destroyed many existing sanitation systems. Furthermore, Haiti has potential freshwater resources; however, agricultural and industrial activities and untreated sewage have contaminated surface water and groundwater resources. 

Another challenge is the lack of finance for water and sanitation infrastructure. Typically, the majority of the WASH sector investment has been driven by donor funding, but there has been a difficulty with the costs of operations from service providers. However, USAID/Haiti will develop innovative and affordable solutions within the communities that enable households to control how much water they will need. The Haiti Country Plan has allocated a budget of $9.8 million for the FY 2017 and the FY 2018 President’s Budget Request of $9.9 million

Overall, Haiti is making progress in water, sanitation, and hygiene practices. Many organizations are supporting Haiti by helping to increase access to clean water and improved sanitation.


Reference

Haiti. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.globalwaters.org/wherewework/latinamericacaribbean/haiti

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 10, 2020 at 7:29 PM

    Hi Dajah,
    Haiti is a very common country that is known for having a variety of issues in their country. I found it it shocking that the population there is 11 million people! I also found it shocking that only 65% of that population have access to basic water sources. You chose a very interesting country to talk about and I enjoyed reading your post!
    Caylee

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alice McNeillOctober 11, 2020 at 9:04 AM

    Hello Dajah,
    I am surprised to learn that 35% of Haitians do not have access to basic water resources and 65% without access to basic sanitation. Without basic sanitation or proper infrastructure, diseases can spread quickly, such as the ones you mentioned (diarrheal, cholera, etc). It is saddening to hear that what freshwater and natural resources Haiti does have, have been ruined by contamination and lack of infrastructure. You did a good job in this post expressing the challenges that Haiti faces internally and the changes the governments are trying to make.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 11, 2020 at 11:39 AM

    Good evening Dajah,
    I enjoyed reading your blog over Haiti and the issues that revolve around the limited access to water and sanitation practices. The facts you listed above stating that only 65% of Haitians have access to just basic water sources where only 35% of the population has access to sanitation practices. This is sad learning about all of these countries who are struggling with similar issues and still remain with the results we have today.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sandra RodriguezOctober 11, 2020 at 8:16 PM

    Hi Dajah, thank you for sharing the struggles Haiti faces when it comes to water supply and sanitation. You did an amazing job at highlighting certain obstacles that the country has encountered, such as the earthquake, and describing how it affected Haiti and its citizens. I am glad to read that although the issue is not completely solved, the country has made great advancements to provide the best forms of education and good systems for their communities.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog #8 Clean Water and Sanitation: Zimbabwe

Image
    On this week’s blog, I will be focusing on a country located in southern Africa known as Zimbabwe, which joined the United Nations on August 25, 1980. Access to safe water and sanitation has been a reoccurring issue in Zimbabwe, especially for those living in rural areas. Zimbabwe is home to about 14 million people, but the majority of the population does not have access to clean water or proper sanitation. According to UNICEF, it has been reported that only 35% of Zimbabwe’s population has access to adequate sanitation. Also, it has been reported that 67% of people living in rural Zimbabwe don’t have access to clean water (CARE, n.d.). Inadequate access to clean water and sanitation can increase the vulnerability to waterborne diseases and malnutrition. The sustainable developmental goal of water and sanitation is being implemented through various organizations. However, the UNICEF WASH program and the Swedish Embassy have been working to improve access to clean water and...
Read more

Blog #6 Clean Water and Sanitation: Malawi

Image
Water and Sanitation: Malawi   In this week’s blog, I am focusing on a small, densely populated county in southeastern Africa known as Malawi. This country is one of the poorest countries in the world and is home to 18.62 million people. Furthermore, most of the population still lives below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day (Water for People, 2019). Malawi joined the United Nations on January 12, 1964. Over the years, Malawi has been working together to improve the needs of clean water and sanitation. Around 65% of the population has access to basic water services, and 25% of the population has access to basic sanitation services (Water for People, 2019). Clean water and sanitation is the sixth goal of the sustainable development goals and is being implemented by various organizations. This goal is a priority in the country and has utilized the help of organizations to improve the issue. The Water And Development Alliance (WADA) and Water for People are a few of the m...
Read more

Blog #1- Clean Water and Sanitation: Nigeria

Image
  Clean Water and Sanitation: Nigeria For this project, I will be focusing on clean water and sanitation (Goal 6). Many countries do not have access to clean water and sanitation which can be detrimental to the health of individuals. I wanted to focus on this topic because many countries face this issue and nothing has not been solved or overlooked. For instance, “ one in three people do not have access to safe drinking water, two out of five people do not have basic hand-washing facility with soap and water, and more than 673 million people still practice open defecation” (United Nations, n.d). In other words, the majority of the world’s population is facing this issue. Nigeria is one of many countries that has contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation conditions which contributes to the increased vulnerability to water-borne diseases. Also, it remains a major contributing factor to high mortality rates among children under the age of five. According to UNICEF, it mentions t...
Read more