Port-au-Prince,
21 July 2010 - Over six months since the
7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, severe
deforestation and the uncontrolled dumping
of debris are among the complex environmental
issues the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) is helping to address.
As part of the UN relief
and recovery effort, UNEP is focused on
promoting a sustainable recovery for Haiti
by minimising the environmental damage from
reconstruction and ensuring there is adequate,
long-term investment in natural resource
management.
Prior to the 12 January
earthquake, Haiti was already the poorest
and most environmentally degraded country
in the Caribbean, and its largely destroyed
rural environment could not fully support
its population.
For example, the total
forest cover was approximately 2% in a country
where 75% of energy demands were satisfied
by wood fuel, and a lack of trees had in
turn caused significant soil erosion.
The massive damage from
the earthquake has now exacerbated the sustainability
problems in rural and urban areas, according
to UNEP's Haiti Programme Manager, Andrew
Morton.
"The demand for
timber poles for tents and construction
is accelerating the rate of deforestation
and this is one impact which will be very
difficult to mitigate," Mr. Morton
said.
"A new and highly
visible problem is debris and waste management
in the Port-au-Prince region where the city
is literally choking on building rubble
and garbage because dumping is generally
uncontrolled.
"UNEP is working
with the Haitian Ministry of Environment,
the UN and non-governmental organizations
to try and turn around the environmental
situation, but the people of Haiti and the
international community have a major recovery
challenge in front of them," Mr. Morton
added.
Field-based rapid assessments
since 13 January identified numerous environmental
issues for the short and medium term, including
the disposal of medical waste, rubble and
demolition material, secondary spills and
hazardous chemicals, geological and flood
risks for camps and the environmental impact
of massive population displacement.
Jointly with the Haitian
government, UNEP is identifying opportunities
for investment, for example, in erosion
control to help increase the productivity
of farmland, and in clean energy by establishing
a Haiti Improved Stoves Network to introduce
more fuel-efficient stoves and reduce the
demand for charcoal.
UNEP has conducted environmental
assessments of camp management in Haiti
and is also part of a working group on timber
issues which is promoting a sustainable
wood chain in Haiti as part of developing
a national wood market.
UNEP's post-earthquake
activities in Haiti are supported with funding
from the governments of Ireland and Norway.
Through its Disasters
and Conflicts Programme, UNEP has been working
with the Government of Haiti since 2008
and opened a project office in Port-au-Prince
in January 2009.
Further resources
Disasters and Conflicts: http://www.unep.org/conflictsanddisasters
UN in Haiti: http://oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Environment/
Haiti Regeneration Initiative: http://www.haitiregeneration.org/
