Water.org and partners address Haiti's urgent water crisis

Haitians have an urgent need for clean water and sanitation in the aftermath of the January earthquake. But Gary White, executive director and co-founder of Water.org, notes that Haiti’s water supply and sanitation system were in crisis even before the disaster – 50 percent of the population already lacked access to safe water, and 80 percent did without a sanitary latrine or toilet. White and co-founder Matt Damon spoke about the water crisis in Haiti at CGI’s opening plenary session in 2009 (view the video). Recently, we spoke with White about the organization’s post-earthquake plans.

What is the most important thing that you wish people knew about the water and sanitation situation in Haiti?

People are rightly concerned about meeting the immediate emergency needs in the wake of this disaster.  However, Haiti faces a deeper water and sanitation crisis that goes beyond the scope of the earthquake – it affects people throughout the entire country.  Diarrhea accounts for 5,000 deaths per year in Haiti – deaths that could be prevented with safe water, sanitation and proper hygiene.  Every 20 years this crisis claims the lives of 100,000 Haitians — at least 2/3 of them children.  As we work to build back better in Haiti it is important to use this moment to address this silent crisis that does not grab the headlines.

At the Annual Meeting last year, you committed to bring clean water and sanitation to a minimum of 50,000 people in Haiti. Has the earthquake changed your plans?

It has not changed our plans, though we did have to adjust to the new situation on the ground. We have secured nearly one-half of the funding to meet the total program cost, and we remain on track to reach this commitment. We began a partnership last month with Haiti Outreach, a local non-governmental organization, to work primarily in rural areas of the country. Haiti Outreach works mostly in the north-central Plateau and on the island of La Gonave. They specialize in water improvements in rural areas, and have been involved in recent discussions with Water.org and others about how they can lend a hand to the recovery efforts. Water.org and Haiti Outreach are in the process of designing a new, integrated water/sanitation/health (WASH) program.

Keith Stamm, Water.org’s chief operating officer, recently went to Haiti to assess the water and sanitation situation in greater Port-au-Prince in conjunction with the Cooperative Housing Foundation. They were looking for ways to sustainably serve some of the areas in and around Port-au-Prince by rehabilitating salvageable water and sanitation points and expanding services in previously under-served areas.  Many elements of the water distribution system in Port au Prince were under control of the local water mafia prior to the earthquake and that has likely not changed.  This, of course, is an impediment to the provision of sustainable, safe water. (Read Keith’s daily updates from his trip.)

You planned, as part of your commitment, to build partnerships with microfinance institutions and bring your WaterCredit initiative to Haiti. Has the earthquake made that more difficult? What are your plans now for bringing WaterCredit to Haiti?

We have reached out to Fonkoze, the largest microfinance institution in Haiti, to explore ways in which we can complement each other’s efforts. The desperate poverty in many parts of Haiti, combined with the magnitude of the earthquake's destruction, make it challenging to implement water and sanitation loan programs in the short term. As Haiti recovers from this quake and begins to rebuild their institutions, we will assess how WaterCredit can help improve access to water and sanitation.

Who are your partners on the ground in Haiti, and what are they working on now?

Water.org has scrutinized numerous potential partner candidates and met individually with eight organizations. In addition, there are three other organizations that are in the later stages of our partner certification process. We hope to meet with them within the next few months.

What are the most important things that need to be done to bring safe water and sanitation to Haiti?

It is important to remember that the WASH situation was in a terrible state long before the quake. Fifty percent of people lacked access to safe water, and 80 percent lacked access to a sanitary latrine or toilet.

The earthquake has now destroyed water and sanitation infrastructure in Port-au-Prince and several other areas of the country. In those areas, short-term relief is critical – for example, distributing potable and bottled water and providing latrines at temporary camps. Over the medium to longer-terms, donors, private companies, NGOs, and public officials will need to rebuild and expand water networks in the capital area, build new sewer infrastructure and treatment facilities (which did not exist before the quake), and create on-site water and sanitation facilities in rural areas and small towns where such services did not exist or require rehabilitation.  The issue of criminal control of portions of the water system in Port-au-Prince will also need to be addressed by the government to truly create the environment needed for a sustainable, safe water supply.