USAID/DART HAITI EARTHQUAKE WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000162 AIDAC SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON PGOV PINR PREL PREF HA SUBJECT: USAID/DART HAITI EARTHQUAKE WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE UPDATE REF: PORT A 0076 ¶1. Summary. Humanitarian agencies in Haiti have significantly scaled up sanitation response activities in recent weeks; however, sanitation needs, particularly within Port-au-Prince settlement sites, remain urgent and challenging. On February 11, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) released the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster strategy for acceleration of latrine construction, estimating a total need for 18,000 to 22,000 latrines throughout earthquake-affected areas of Haiti. Based upon the WASH Cluster strategy, USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) WASH advisors have developed an action plan to further guide USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) WASH programming in the immediate, medium, and long-term. The plan comprises continued construction of trench latrines, short-term rental of portable toilets and desludging trucks, and purchase of portable latrines and desludging trucks. USAID/OFDA plans to purchase 3,000 portable toilets and 20 desludging trucks in order to meet urgent sanitation needs in locations where trench latrines are unviable. USAID/OFDA also plans to provide an additional $2.5 million to UNICEF for portable latrine operations, maintenance, and management. ¶2. To improve data regarding remaining WASH gaps, USAID/DART staff have developed a survey to support a 10-day, Oxfam and UNICEF-supported WASH Cluster assessment of 200 to 300 settlement sites within Port-au-Prince and immediate surrounding areas, which is scheduled to commence on February 16. In addition, WASH Cluster partners continue to improve water treatment and develop plans for water quality monitoring to mitigate the risk of water-borne diseases. Addressing WASH concerns is an urgent priority prior to the rainy season and hurricane season in early April and June, respectively. End summary. -------------- WASH EFFORTS TO DATE -------------- ¶3. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, water needs emerged as the highest priority for WASH partners, with most WASH Cluster agencies focusing on water delivery during the first two weeks of the response. The coordinated water operation met the immediate water requirements of approximately 1.1 million individuals, significantly reducing the potential for water-borne disease outbreaks in settlement sites. While water treatment and delivery remains ongoing, USAID/DART WASH advisors emphasize increased sanitation coverage through latrine construction and/or installation as the predominant challenge for the coming weeks. ¶4. To date, humanitarian agencies have reported the construction of more than 1,200 trench latrines throughout earthquake-affected areas; however, the USAID/DART notes that the number of latrines constructed to date is likely underreported. The WASH Cluster is currently compiling latrine construction reports from WASH Cluster partners, with additional details forthcoming. To date, the WASH Cluster lacks a clear and comprehensive picture of water and sanitation conditions in Port-au-Prince settlement sites. To improve data regarding remaining WASH gaps, USAID/DART staff have developed an assessment tool as part of a 10-day WASH Cluster assessment of 200 to 300 settlement sites within Port-au-Prince and immediate surrounding areas, which is scheduled to commence on February 16. A USAID/DART WASH advisor is conducting training for the surveyors on February 15. The Government of Haiti (GoH) National Direction for Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA), UNICEF, Oxfam, the USAID/DART, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will participate in the assessment. -------------- EMERGENCY SANITATION ACTION PLAN: TRENCH LATRINES PRIORITIZED -------------- ¶5. The WASH Sanitation working group has identified an estimated 1 million individuals in need of emergency sanitation assistance, necessitating the construction or installation of an estimated 18,000 additional latrines throughout Haiti, including 9,000 latrines in Port-au-Prince and 9,000 latrines outside Port-au-Prince. (Note: USAID/DART WASH advisors report that the estimated latrine need outside Port-au-Prince is based upon preliminary U.N. estimates of individuals requiring shelter and is likely somewhat inflated, as shelter needs likely exceed latrine requirements outside Port-au-Prince. End note). The immediate goal will be to provide one latrine per 100 people, an initial target below Sphere standards due to the difficulty of providing service at many sites. WASH Cluster partners aim to increase the number of latrines until a rate of 50 people per latrine is achieved. Wherever possible, WASH Cluster partners will continue to construct or install latrines until a goal of 20 people per latrine is reached. ¶6. WASH Cluster members expect trench latrines to serve sanitation needs outside Port-au-Prince, with possible exception of some areas of Leogane, as sufficient space and less sensitive land issues permit trench latrine construction in most locations. The WASH Cluster sanitation working group plans to construct 9,000 trench latrines outside of Port-au-Prince and 4,500 trench latrines within Port-au-Prince. Where possible, USAID/DART WASH advisors emphasize the importance of prioritizing trench latrine construction in settlement sites, given the high cost, heavy management burden, and unsustainability of portable toilets and desludging trucks. WASH Cluster members expect to complete construction of most trench latrines in the next few weeks, with the goal of completing all trench latrines before the onset of the rainy season in early April. -------------- EMERGENCY SANITATION ACTION PLAN: PORTABLE LATRINES WHERE NECESSARY -------------- ¶7. Trench latrine construction is not possible in all locations due to landowner sensitivity, prevalence of concrete surfaces, and overcrowding, particularly in densely populated sites within Port-au-Prince. While humanitarian agencies did not prioritize portable toilets at the onset of the emergency due to the heavy management burden, high expense, and disposal issues, USAID/DART WASH advisors have identified provision of portable latrine facilities and desludging service as the only viable option for sanitation support in locations where trench latrine construction is unviable. WASH Cluster partners estimate a need for 4,500 portable toilets and 40 desludging trucks to serve Port-au-Prince settlement sites deemed unsuitable or too sensitive for trench latrine construction. USAID/DART WASH advisors note that many of the portable toilet and desludging facilities currently in Port-au-Prince are serving the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and U.S. military presence, leaving little local capacity for portable latrine installation in settlement sites. ¶8. UNICEF has purchased 500 portable toilets to serve Port-au-Prince settlement sites, which are expected to arrive in approximately four to six weeks. In addition, USAID/OFDA plans to purchase an additional 3,000 portable latrines for immediate transport to Port-au-Prince and consignment to UNICEF. (Note: UNICEF and partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs) would manage the trucks and operations for a period of time until DINEPA has gained the capacity to manage the operation. End note.) The USAID/DART has also coordinated with the Clinton Foundation, which will be supplying the remaining need for 1,000 portable latrines. USAID/OFDA plans to provide an additional $2.5 million to UNICEF for portable latrine operations, maintenance, and management. In addition, CARE is working to construct latrines with sewage holding tanks in locations where digging for trench latrines is impractical. These latrines will also require desludging service. Of the 40 desludging trucks required to service portable latrines, several organizations, including UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),CARE, and Oxfam, have purchased 19 trucks, and USAID/OFDA plans to procure an additional 20 trucks of various sizes to help meet the requirement, with smaller trucks planned for sites with constrained road access. ¶9. The USAID/DART notes that an interim solution is necessary to provide sanitation support in the four- to six-week period before the purchased trucks and portable latrines arrive. USAID/DART WASH advisors have identified portable toilet and desludging truck rental from the Dominican Republic as a potential solution to serve some sanitation needs in the short-term. NGOs Catholic Relief Services and Action Contre La Faim are currently renting 400 portable latrines, and UNICEF plans to rent 1,000 latrines beginning in mid- to late February. -------------- ADDITIONAL WASTE DISPOSAL CAPACITY NEEDED -------------- ¶10. USAID/DART WASH advisors report that Haiti lacks adequate wastewater disposal facilities, with desludging trucks currently dumping waste into an uncontrolled site adjacent to a wetlands area outside Port-au-Prince. According to the USAID/DART, the site poses possible environmental threats and, if flooded during the rainy season, could potentially contaminate water flowing through inhabited portions of Port-au-Prince. Improved disposal sites will be necessary to manage portable latrine waste. -------------- ONGOING HYGIENE PROMOTION, WATER TREATMENT AND MONITORING CRITICAL -------------- ¶11. In addition, intensive hygiene promotion campaigns, continued water provision and treatment, and latrine maintenance through local sanitation committees will be necessary in difficult-to-service sites while latrine coverage remains low or non-existent. In sites where latrines will not be available, USAID/DART WASH advisors note the importance of ensuring that water is chlorinated; providing adequate water and facilities for handwashing and bathing; instituting hygiene promotion activities; establishing mechanisms for trash pick-up and settlement site maintenance; and ensuring that open defecation occurs as far away as possible from locations where people live and cook. ¶12. In locations where trench latrines are available but inadequate to meet demand, the USAID/DART recommends community mobilization and establishment of settlement site committees to manage sanitation infrastructure. The WASH Cluster has determined that NGOs should utilize cash-for-work interventions or direct payments to ensure cleanliness of sanitary facilities. In addition, due to high latrine usage in these locations, NGOs must prepare to either replace latrines more frequently or develop methods to pump waste from the trenches. ¶13. USAID/DART WASH advisors have observed proper hygiene practices in settlement sites visited but note that additional hygiene promotion activities could target high-risk locations or areas with emerging sanitation-related health concerns. Health surveillance data, which should be available soon, would assist in identification of high-risk locations. ¶14. WASH Cluster partners continue to improve water treatment systems and plan water monitoring mechanisms to mitigate the risk of water-borne diseases. During a February 11 water quality meeting, DINEPA reported that the cluster is working to ensure that all tankered and piped water is treated and that beneficiaries would receive water purification tablets to further treat water distributed by private companies to kiosks. According to DINEPA, water provided through the GoH Centrale Autonome M????tropolitaine d'Eau Potable (CAMEP) network in Port-au-Prince will be chlorinated in the coming weeks. In addition, DINEPA presented an initial water quality monitoring plan for Port-au-Prince, which includes monitoring for residual chlorine in the distribution network and bladders at settlement site locations, microbiological testing of all water provided at private kiosks, and development of a baseline set of chemical and microbiological tests of wells and springs. DINEPA proposes that the monitoring program include testing of small number of household water samples each week to provide evidence of water quality at the point of consumption. In addition, the WASH Cluster water quality working group has agreed to prioritize water quality monitoring of boreholes in and around Leogane. Microbiological testing will be conducted with the assistance of the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), which operates portable laboratories in Port-au-Prince and Leogane. -------------- CONCLUSION -------------- ¶15. Following the rapid provision of safe drinking water for earthquake-affected populations, providing sanitation services has proven a significant challenge, particularly in densely populated sites in Port-au-Prince. WASH Cluster partners have gained capacity to address sanitation concerns in recent weeks and continue to improve water treatment and monitoring systems to mitigate the risk of water-borne diseases. The USAID/DART continues to emphasize trench latrine construction, where possible, but recognizes the necessity of portable latrine installation, as well as intensive hygiene promotion activities, in certain difficult-to-serve locations. ¶16. To date, USAID/OFDA has provided nearly $9.5 million for WASH interventions in earthquake-affected areas of Haiti and plans to provide an additional $2.5 million, bringing total committed or planned WASH assistance to nearly $12 million. USAID/OFDA has also delivered 74,208 hygiene kits, 111,600 water containers, and 22 water bladders, valued at a total of more than $900,000, to support the WASH needs of at least 371,000 beneficiaries. In addition, USAID/DART WASH advisors continue to provide significant technical expertise in support of WASH Cluster efforts, including the upcoming WASH assessment of 200 to 300 Port-au-Prince settlement sites. The assessment will provide a clearer picture of remaining needs and inform future WASH priorities. 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