Port-Au-Prince, 28 January
2010 - Two weeks
after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that
struck Haiti on 12 January, a massive humanitarian
operation is underway and aid is beginning
to reach those who desperately need it in
Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas.
The most urgent priorities remain water,
health care, shelter and food.
Thanks to a team of
senior experts on the ground, UNEP continues
to provide technical assistance and support
on environmental matters to the Humanitarian
Country Team and to the local government,
including through emergency environmental
assessments of affected sites and active
participation in the humanitarian cluster
system.
Field-based rapid assessments
since 13 January have identified a number
of major environmental issues for the short
and medium term, including:
Medical waste: Emergency
response operations are currently generating
a very significant amount of medical waste,
which is piling up in hospitals and medical
treatment centers. No systems or equipment
are yet in place to dispose of these potentially
hazardous materials. UNEP is working with
the Haitian Government and WHO to establish
an appropriate containment space and handling
procedures for this waste in the Port-au-Prince
area.
Rubble and demolition
material: In the epicenter and highly affected
areas, the percentage of destruction or
severe damage to buildings and other structures
is 60-80%. The volume of demolition waste
potentially generated by recovery and reconstruction
operations has yet to be technically estimated,
but will be in tens of millions of tons.
Recycling efforts are already being observed,
but debris is also being dumped in large
quantities on the roadsides. Unless this
issue is managed properly, additional environmental
impacts will arise. UNEP is working with
number of other partners to develop a Debris
Management Strategy for Port-au-Prince and
environs.
Secondary spills and
hazardous chemicals: Recovery and reconstruction
operations will in time work over a large
number of badly damaged small industry and
storage sites. This implies a risk of oil
and chemical spills. The extent and impact
of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
from sources like damaged electric transformers
also need to be assessed.
Landslides: Multiple
small landslides visible on all hillsides
in the impacted area. Little movement has
been noted so far, mainly due to the coral
sand geology and dry conditions. However,
many more landslides are anticipated after
the first heavy rains.
Geological and flood
risks for rebuilt camps: Many damaged accommodation
areas will be further degraded by the earthquake
as it has destabilized slopes and blocked
drainage lines with debris. There is a high
potential for building back better and disaster
risk reduction through improved hydrology,
slope stabilization by revegetation, and
geological engineering work.
Environmental impact of
massive population displacements: The massive
ongoing displacement of population represents
an immediate pressure on local resources.
It has been reported that over 1,000,000
people have moved to less affected rural
and urban areas in the western part of the
southern peninsula, central and northern
part of the country. In the short term,
these population's energy and livelihood
needs will create additional pressure on
Haiti's already exhausted natural resources.
Green food and cash
for work schemes: Several million people
have been economically affected by the quake,
which has destroyed the Port-au-Prince regional
economy for the medium term at least. It
is anticipated that the most vulnerable
will be assisted with large-scale food and
cash for work schemes. Opportunities exist
to direct these schemes to sustainable "green"
and disaster risk reduction activities such
as clean-up, urban catchment rehabilitation
and reforestation.
UNEP will continue to
support the people of Haiti and the international
community throughout the emergency and early
recovery phases, through targeted interventions
aimed at mitigating further environmental
risk, "building back better,"
and ensuring long-term sustainable recovery.
A Flash Appeal for USD
575 million, covering a period of six months,
was launched by the UN and international
partners on Friday 15 January. The Appeal
includes USD 1 million for environmental
interventions during the early recovery
phase of operations.
In addition to
post-disaster interventions, UNEP will continue
to develop the Haiti Regeneration Initiative,
a long-term programme to be implemented
by a wide range of partners, aimed at reducing
poverty and vulnerability to natural hazards
through the restoration of ecosystems and
sustainable natural resource management.
Well planned, concerted action will be required
over the next 20 years and beyond to halt
the ongoing degradation and to gradually
restore the Haitian environment and related
livelihoods.
For More Information Please Contact:
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson/Head of
Media
