ARTICLE - MORNE L'HOPITAL WATERSHED

NEW PHASE OF WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT OF MORNE L'HOPITAL
(Haiti Libre) -

  The Community Violence Reduction (CVR) section of the Minustah, in the presence of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Haiti, Mr. Mariano Fernández Amunátegui and local authorities, will present tomorrow, Thursday, the new phase of development work of the watershed of Morne l'Hôpital, overlooking Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.

This new phase, consists in the execution of works of preservation of soil, on hillsides or of mountains, through the construction of dry stone thresholds over a length of 3,000 meters. Once the thresholds are constructed, vetiver seedlings will be planted along the walls to strengthen and stabilize the soil structure.

This project, funded to the tune of 178.634 U.S. dollars, will be implemented over a period of 6 months, and aims to reduce the volume of water and soil coming down the slopes during rainfall, improve the urban environment, and reduce community health problems related to flooding. Furthermore, the project will create local jobs and greater social cohesion, reducing the risk of community violence in the area. 1,345 individuals (220 workers each rotation, with 6 rotations, 20 team leaders, and 5 controllers) will benefit from this project, which is produced in partnership with the National Organization of Young Professionals to Save Haiti (ONJPSH), CLAP (Local Committee for Support to the Project, including a member of the local authorities), and OSAMH (Supervisory Organization and of development of Morne l'Hôpital)

Since, 2008, the Community Violence Reduction (CVR) section of the Minustah, has funded the implementation of 27 projects aimed at protecting 78 km of soil on mountainsides or gullies, for a total of $5,110,370 USD, generating approximately 38,335 temporary jobs, of which 30% are women.