FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Washington, DC – January 25, 2010 – After the Earthquake two weeks ago, a local Haitian group developed a system in which they are helping to deliver water to Haitians. Haitians are helping Haitians. Dlo Pwòp/International Action supplies 200,000 Haitians with one gallon of clean water each day.
This local Haitian group located water storage tanks which are undamaged and able to hold at least 1600 gallons each. The local group is now paying local water truckers to fill storage tanks and to deliver drinkable water directly to the population in the poorest parts of Port-au-Prince.
Dlo Pwòp/International Action is adding chlorine to each truckload of water. Each truck holds 3000 gallons of water and can make 5 trips a day to many parts of the city.
So far, Dlo Pwòp/International Action has been renting 10 trucks each day and plans on renting still more as roads are cleared of earthquake debris.
Since May of 2006 until before the quake, Dlo Pwòp/International Action had installed chlorinators on 140 water tanks in Port-au-Prince. From these tanks the group then supplied drinkable water on a daily basis to pre-earthquake 400,000 Haitians.
In the first three days after the quake, Dalebrun Esther, the director of Dlo Pwòp, supplied 20,000 gallons of water to the poorest neighborhoods using the group’s small tank truck. Now he devotes his time to recruiting commercial truckers who normally haul water to wealthy neighborhoods where residents pay high sums for water. In this critical time, International Action is funding these high priced truckers to redirect them to poor neighborhoods and the Haitian staff is adding chlorine for safety.
International Action is developing a plan for rebuilding at least 23 water tanks damaged by the quake and for adding water tanks in those neighborhoods currently without water tanks. This effort will reach 2 million residents in a period of 5 years.
About International Action
International Action is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on creating a healthy Haiti by providing clean water and other life-saving programs. Since 2006, International Action has worked with Haitian communities to provide training, education, and create sustainable water systems. International Action currently protects over 600,000 Haitians from waterborne diseases and improves their quality of life.
Contact
Youngmin Chang
ychang@haitiwater.org
International Action
819 L Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003
(202) 488-0735
https://haitiwater.org/