ARTICLE - POLLUTED ENVIRONMENT

POLLUTION OF THE HAITIAN ENVIRONMENT, VERY WORRYING
(Haiti Libre) -

The pollution of the Haitian environment requires an immediate response. The mismanagement of garbage, dumping waste in the streets and rivers are dangers to the health of the population.

A decree-law on the management and environmental protection was adopted by the Council of Ministers on October 12, 2005. The responsibilities of citizens, local authorities, businesses and government institutions including the Ministry of Environment are defined in this decree, which allows the introduction into Haitian legislation the principles enshrined in international agreements,... in particular the polluter pays in principle into the environmental management. According to this decree, polluters could face justice, or be imprisoned for damage to the environment. Yet today, this decree is still not implemented. Each year the pollution of the environment causes thousands of victims.

The Platform of Haitian Human Rights Organizations (POHDH) believes that the degrading environmental situation of the country calls for an awareness of all stakeholders active in this area, and more precisely, the commitment of the State in the implementation of a strategy that would aim to, according to Antonal Mortimé, Executive Secretary of POHDH, the following points :

Supervise farmers operating on watersheds;

Curb the phenomenon of rural exodus;

Implement and enforce the law against any polluter of the environment;

Implement training programs in schools, universities, radio stations to educate the public, especially the youth and children, on the management and protection of the environment;

Develop other alternative energy sources for cooking.

Antonal Mortimé, believes that the level of environmental degradation in the country today is alarming and threatens the survival of the population. This requires the responsibility of the State and civic consciousness. "We must take advantage of the reconstruction of Haiti to restore a new image to the physical environment of the country". It is also a question for the state authorities to take measures in order to protect the environment, and to raise awareness on the necessity to engage in the fight to prevent pollution.