July 19, 2022
The town hall of Anse-à-Veau, OREPA Sud and DINEPA launched this Wednesday, July 13, 2022 the project to rehabilitate the drinking water supply system (SAEP) of Saut du Baril. The ceremony took place in the presence of local elected officials including the mayor of the city, the representative of the Minister of Public Works Transport and Communication, the departmental delegate of Nippes, the director general of DINEPA, the Swiss ambassador in Haiti , representatives of Helvetas Haiti, representatives of the construction firm Ingénierie Moderne et Construction (IMCO), several representatives of grassroots organizations and members of the population among others.
This project funded by the Embassy of Switzerland in Haiti to the tune of one million three hundred thousand Swiss francs (about 1,300,000.00 US dollars) aims to improve the conditions of drinking water supply for the population of the city of Anse -à-Veau and neighboring localities, about 6,800. “The population has been facing a difficult situation in terms of drinking water supply since 2012”, according to Marc Michel, the mayor of the city. Several citizens and leaders of grassroots organizations who participated in the ceremony pointed out that residents are forced to pay up to 400 gourdes for a 200 liter drum of water (about 60 gallons). Those who do not have the means have to travel several kilometers to fetch water from the
The work, divided into two phases, should last approximately eight months. They will consist during phase I of the construction of a new catchment and a protective fence, the rehabilitation of the existing catchment and three reservoirs, the construction of a new reservoir in the Azor locality, the repair of the pipes in poor condition on the supply line and the construction of a new supply line to supply the new reservoir, then the extension of the network to the locality called O’Rouck (approximately 2800 inhabitants). The rehabilitation and extension of the network are planned for the second phase of the project, according to Guito Edouard, director general of DINEPA.
Mr. Édouard guarantees that the whole community will be involved in the implementation of the project so as, he said, to ensure the sustainability of the initiative. It is in this sense that he launched an appeal for the collaboration of the population who will have to agree to pay a contribution for the water service.
“Helvetas Haiti and Switzerland will withdraw. But you have to make sure that the system continues to work”, launched Fabrizio Poretti, the Swiss ambassador in Haiti who tries to sensitize the members of the population on the need to manage the system well and to protect the sources.
The rehabilitation of SAEP Saut du Baril is part of the Program for Strengthening Local Governance of Water and Sanitation in Haiti (REGLEAU). Implemented by Helvetas Haiti, REGLEAU aims to improve the living conditions of populations by strengthening access to sustainable drinking water supply and sanitation services through project management by local authorities.