More than 270,000 people supplied with potable water

The Veolia Environnement Foundation went into action immediately after the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. As of January 13, it had sent 30 metric tons of emergency equipment to Haiti in a cargo plane chartered by the French Red Cross, and the first Veoliaforce volunteers were on the ground in Port-au-Prince as of January 16.

Following evaluations made by the Veoliaforce volunteers and the French Red Cross emergency response team, the drinking water supply was organized in two of the capital's districts, Delmas and Cité Militaire. Aquaforce 5000 mobile units were deployed to supply water to the Haitian Ofatma Hospital, as well as a primary health center run by the German Red Cross. Another 67 distribution points were set up, supplied by tank trucks with water from boreholes still operating.

The Veoliaforce volunteers, working in support of Action contre la Faim, deployed two Aquaforce 5000 units, one in the Turgeau district and the other on the Champ de Mars, where they also built latrines to deal with sanitation problems.

And at the Noisy-le-Grand platform (France), where the Foundation stores its emergency equipment, a team of volunteers has remained on stand-by since the earthquake to coordinate equipment logistics and supply.

The situation in April 2010

Three months after the earthquake in Haiti, the Veolia Foundation is still mobilized.
The emergency missions are continuing but the teams are now trying to make their actions durable and are working on a progressive handover to the Haitian people.
Since the beginning of the disaster, more than 270,000 people have been supplied with potable water by Veoliaforce and its partners.

The Veoliaforce volunteers are still working with the emergency response unit of the French Red Cross, but with a long-term view, to make the projects durable.
A water network expert has been deployed to Port-au-Prince since the end of March 2010.
His mission is to make sure that the potable water supply functions across the capital. He also reassessed the 67 distribution points set up by the French Red Cross during the first emergency phase.

At the same time, the volunteers are carrying out in-depth projects in the Haitian capital and in the surrounding towns. At the beginning of March, two chemists were deployed to Port-au-Prince to support the local experts.
Their mission was to reinforce the DINEPA team (National Department of Potable Water). Volunteers also took samples with mobile laboratories to test the water quality, and set up a supervision plan.
Two other volunteers will take over from them to make sure that this substantial project continues.
Two water network experts have been deployed to Petit-Goâve, 68 km south of Port-au-Prince, to support the French Red Cross. They assessed damage to the network and proposed a master plan for rehabilitation to the authorities.

Responses to the October 2010 cholera epidemic

Following the cholera epidemic declared in mid-October 2010, the Fondation Veolia Environnement stayed alert and provided its technical support for the upkeep of the water treatment units and rehabilitation materials.

Simultaneously, the Fondation led evaluation activities in response to the cholera crisis.

Two volunteers participated in our partners' actions. One volunteer, with the UNICEF and DINEPA, helped to set up a program for decentralised information management related to access and rehabilitation of water facilities. The other, with the French Red Cross, worked on a program aimed at improving water accessibility in the areas first hit by the epidemic: the Artibonite department.

Both evaluation missions helped our partners' efforts related to drinkable water accessibility.

Lastly, in December 2010 and by request from the International Federation of the Red Cross, a third volunteer participated in writing the response plan to the cholera epidemic. This document describes the Federation's objectives over the next twelve months and aims at encouraging donations from Red Cross patrons.

Project detail

  • Haiti : Ouest department : Port-au-Prince, Petit-Goâve; Artibonite department
  • 2010
  • Partners : French Red Cross, Action contre la Faim, Solidarités International, UNICEF
  • Over 20 tons of material sent 
  • 270,000 people supplied with potable water
  • 46 volunteers involved
Multimedia Gallery
Multimedia Gallery

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