Environmental Report: Addressing Water Pollution Issues in Haiti

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the water pollution crisis in Haiti, examining its various facets and implications. It begins with an executive summary and introduction, highlighting the severity of the issue and its impact on Haitian society. The report delves into the background, problem statement, and a detailed literature review, exploring factors contributing to pollution, challenges faced, and the significant impacts on public health, particularly among children. The report also offers a variety of solutions and suggestions, including waste management strategies, proper sewage disposal, water pump implementation, latrine construction, social awareness programs, and rainwater harvesting and treatment plants, with relevant examples. The conclusion emphasizes the urgent need for mitigation efforts to achieve a sustainable society and improve the quality of life for the Haitian people.

Running head: WATER POLLUTION IN HAITI
Water Pollution in Haiti
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
This report takes in to account the water pollution problem in Haiti and its effect on the society.
the different causes of the pollution and its effects are enumerated. The overall effect of the
pollution and its long-term sustainability are discussed. Further the possible ways of mitigating
the pollution problem in Haiti are elaborated.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................3
2. Background Study.......................................................................................................................3
3. Problem Statement.......................................................................................................................4
4. Literature Review on 3 Factor.....................................................................................................4
5. Literature Review on 4 Challenges..............................................................................................5
6. Literature Review on 3 Impacts...................................................................................................5
7. 6 Solution or 6 Suggestions with examples.................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

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1. Introduction
The environmental pollution is one of the grave issues faced by the modern society.
Amongst the different types of pollution, the majority of the health concerns are caused by water
and air pollutions as they affect the majority of the population around the world. Water pollution
is defined as the contamination of the water by organisms and other agents which make it unfit
for human consumption or use (Laws, 2017). One of the major pollution crises is the one faced
by Haiti, which is facing extreme water pollution and a crisis of drinkable water. The pollution of
the water resources causes them to be affected by a number of factors such as the lack of
sanitation, improper waste disposal, and the lack of sewage facilities.
To counter the water pollution problem and make clean water accessible to the general
plants need to be set up and the sewage disposal should be controlled. There should also be a
plan to prevent the wastage of water.
2. Background Study
After the earthquake of January 12th, 2010, the majority of the infrastructure of Haiti was
destroyed and water became a scarcity among the local population. The different issues rose due
to the destruction of the sewage pipes in the country. The sewage water being mixed with the
clean water improper measures of waste water treatment and disposal leads to a number of
problems in the accessibility of clean water among the general population of Haiti. The
increment in the water pollution is also due to the lack of the sanitation facilities available in the
country.

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3. Problem Statement
The water pollution in Haiti is one of the major concerns plaguing the country and
causing a number of problems for the general population of the country. the mitigation of the
water crisis is one of the necessary factors to be attended to for the sustainable development of
the Haitian society.
4. Literature Review on 3 Factor
The literature review on the three factors will include the different factors affecting the
water pollution problems in Haiti.
According to Gelting et al. (2013), the water pollution in Haiti is one of the major
challenges the country faces and the availability of sanitation to just 17% of the population in
2010 is one of the major reasons of the pollution. The lack of the sanitation facilities in the
country causes the underground and the clean drinkable water to be polluted by a number of
pollutants.
As pointed out by Pandey et al. (2014), the contamination of the water bodies due to a
number of pathogens is one of the important reasons for water pollution across the world. The
pathogenic bacterial infestation greatly affects a number of water bodies in the world, making it
unfit for human consumption. One of the major reasons of the disease out breaks is the
groundwater contamination which the result of the pollution in the different areas.
According to Ali, Yousaf & Awan, (2015), the different types of pollution are one of the
major problems of the developing countries. The pollution in these countries are affected by a
number of factors such as the different levels of urbanization, extra emphasis on growth rather
than environment and lack of the resources to maintain a sustainable environment economically.

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5. Literature Review on 4 Challenges
According to Capps, Bentsen & Ramírez, (2016), the lack of the infrastructure and the
sanitation facilities are major challenges faced by the developing economies while trying to
improve the water quality. The industrialization and the shift of populations greatly affect the
pollution problems in the country.
According to Lantagne & Clasen, (2012), the safe storage and the household treatment of
the water is one of the major ways to meet the water demands in the country. in the given
scenario there is major issue of the lack of infrastructure in Haiti which leads to improper storage
and dispersal of water in the majority of the country.
As shown by Cashman, (2014), the island countries of the Caribbean countries to which
Haiti belongs is greatly affected by the climatic changes in the society. one of the major
problems in the society is the extremity of the climate in this area, which leads to flood and
draught like situations in the area instead of sustainable water for the society.
According to Harshfield, et al. (2012), there is a major health concern in Haiti due to
Major number of people depending on drinking chlorinated water. There are a number of issues
in such houses such as diarrhea, and other water borne communicable diseases which makes the
situation dire for the society as a whole.
6. Literature Review on 3 Impacts
According to Laborde et al., (2015), the majority of the children suffer in the developing
countries due to the use of contaminated water. There are a number of health issues affecting the
children of low income countries like Haiti due to water pollution. The children suffer from a

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number of diseases, which not only affects their health, but their education and cognitive
development in the society.
According to Wang, et al. (2014), the wastewater and its impacts are greatly important in
the overall management of the fresh water and meeting the needs of the society. the different
issues that the society faces in the Caribbean environment is their over dependence on a limited
resource of water for their survival. The water greatly affects the daily life of the Haitians as it
leads to a number of diseases hampers the working and the education hours as they are wasted on
procurement of the water.
According to Patrick, et al. (2013), the access to the safe and drinkable water in Haiti is
really limited leading to a number of diseases, such as the cholera outbreak. Moreover, the
overall environment of Haiti greatly affects the contamination of the drinking water by a number
of bacterial pathogens which further aggravates the onset of diseases in the society. the water
house hold treatment and practices needs to be taken into consideration to prevent the society
from the effects of water pollution.
7. 6 Solution or 6 Suggestions with examples
 Waste management: The waste management is one of the best ways to control pollution
and ascertain environmental sustainability. For example, first world countries have a
great waste management system which prevent their water resources from getting
polluted and affected by the different pathogens.
 Proper sewage disposal: Proper sewage disposal systems in country will prevent the
waste water from seeping in the ground and contaminating the ground water. Moreover,
this will also help in stopping the pollution in the rivers and other fresh water bodies. For

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example, in America the water disposal act guides the people towards a proper disposal
of the sewage water without harming the environment.
 Water pumps: The scarcity of the water pumps and the public taps is another problem
that Haiti is facing after the earthquake. This leads to lack of proper distribution of water.
For example, the city of Cape Town in facing a major water scarcity but water is
provided through communal taps.
 Latrines for the general population: Latrines for the general population is one of the most
important measures that should be taken for ascertaining the quality of water in the
country. the different water sources are mostly contaminated due to the fecal bacteria
because of people defecating in open. Foe example, the latrine systems used in Nairobi
and Cape town for the public use greatly help in the growth and development of the water
management faculties in the country.
 Social awareness programs: The social awareness regarding the scarcity of the water is
extremely important. The people need to be made aware of water being a depleting
resource in the society and the different ways to conserve water. People should also be
taught about conserving water during the rainy season which will help in meeting the
demands during the dry seasons. They should also be educated about pollution and ways
to avoid it. For example, the people from China use their water effectively and they use
sustainable use of water.
 Rain water harvesting and treatment plants: The rain water harvesting and the water
treatment plants is one of the important ways to meet the demands in the country. the
setting up of rain water harvesting plant in the rural areas will greatly help in the meeting
the demands of the area and retaining the ground water level. The water treatment plan

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can be a great alternative in a country like Haiti as it can help by making the water from
the sea proper for human consumption. The treatment plant can also help in the treatment
of the sewage water so that it does not contaminate the ground water in the society. for
example, the sea water treatment plant in San Francisco is greatly helping in meeting the
water needs of the city.
Conclusion
Therefore, in the report it can be seen that the water needs of the city needs to be over
come to meet the daily water needs of the Haitian Society. The water pollution is one of the
major problems of the Haitian society as the island is facing a great shortage of water and lack of
infrastructure to provide for its citizens. The water pollution causes a number of diseases in the
Haitian society and it affects the daily life, education and development of the society. it can be
seen that pollution adversely affects the lifestyle leading to a number of problems in the society.
To counter these problems in the society, there are a number of measures that should be
taken for water conservation and preventing the water from bring polluted. Most importantly, the
climatic changes need to be mitigated to avoid pollution and water shortfall. Hence the different
issues related to water pollution need to be mitigated in the so that a sustainable society is
achieved.

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References
Ali, A., Yousaf, M. W., & Awan, M. M. S. (2015). Environmental pollution: legislation and
remedial measures. J Environ Prot Sustain Dev, 1(1), 13-17.
Berendes, D., Levy, K., Knee, J., Handzel, T., & Hill, V. R. (2015). Ascaris and Escherichia coli
inactivation in an ecological sanitation system in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. PloS one, 10(5),
e0125336.
Capps, K. A., Bentsen, C. N., & Ramírez, A. (2016). Poverty, urbanization, and environmental
degradation: urban streams in the developing world. Freshwater Science, 35(1), 429-435.
Cashman, A. (2014). Water security and services in the Caribbean. Water, 6(5), 1187-1203.
Gelting, R., Bliss, K., Patrick, M., Lockhart, G., & Handzel, T. (2013). Water, sanitation and
hygiene in Haiti: past, present, and future. The American journal of tropical medicine
and hygiene, 89(4), 665-670.
Harshfield, E., Lantagne, D., Turbes, A., & Null, C. (2012). Evaluating the sustained health
impact of household chlorination of drinking water in rural Haiti. The American journal
of tropical medicine and hygiene, 87(5), 786-795.
Laborde, A., Tomasina, F., Bianchi, F., Bruné, M. N., Buka, I., Comba, P., ... & Iavarone, I.
(2015). Children’s health in Latin America: the influence of environmental exposures.
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Lantagne, D. S., & Clasen, T. F. (2012). Use of household water treatment and safe storage
methods in acute emergency response: case study results from Nepal, Indonesia, Kenya,
and Haiti. Environmental science & technology, 46(20), 11352-11360.
Laws, E. A. (2017). Aquatic pollution: an introductory text. John Wiley & Sons.
Pandey, P. K., Kass, P. H., Soupir, M. L., Biswas, S., & Singh, V. P. (2014). Contamination of
water resources by pathogenic bacteria. AMB Express, 4(1), 51.
Patrick, M., Berendes, D., Murphy, J., Bertrand, F., Husain, F., & Handzel, T. (2013). Access to
safe water in rural Artibonite, Haiti 16 months after the onset of the cholera
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