IOM this week reached a milestone in essential canal clearance
operations in Port-au-Prince, Haiti: a crucial step towards
ensuring the drainage of water away from displacement camps during
the rainy season.

Matt Huber, senior operations officer at IOM Haiti, announced
that in the two weeks since operations began, IOM had now cleared 5
kilometres of priority canals in the heart of Port-au-Prince,
significantly reducing the risk of flooding in the Cite Soleil,
Delmas and Petionville areas.

"We have reached a significant milestone in mitigating danger of
flooding in the camps, through this intervention. We have been in a
race against time," said IOM's Matt Huber.

Many of the 875 recorded temporary shelter camps in
Port-au-Prince were set up nearby the canals, as they often offered
the only available land in the overcrowded capital.

The Haitian capital's overflowing storm water drainage canals
have long been one of its most striking features, piled high with
plastic, household waste and other detritus. 

"Many residents are telling us this is the first time since the
canals were constructed over fifteen years ago that a cleaning
operation of this scope has ever been undertaken," said Huber.

The January 12 earthquake saw the problem significantly
exacerbated by tonnes of new rubble and debris, raising the risk to
an unacceptable level.

With the approaching rainy season these canals faced a real
danger of overflowing and flooding many of those camps.

To address this urgent issue, USAID, through the Office of
Transition Initiatives, asked IOM to clean the four main canals
that drain the northern section of the entire city of Port-au-
Prince.

IOM employed 25 contractors, each initially addressing 200-metre
segments, approximately 15 metres wide by 2.5 metres deep. The
waste is then hauled to an approved government site.

USAID has requested operations to continue throughout the rainy
season, so regular maintenance and upkeep will continue on the
canal for six months. The programme is coordinated with the Haitian
Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communication.

The programme is funded by USAID with up to USD 4.5 million.
Additionally, IOM signed a USD 19.5 million contribution agreement
with USAID yesterday, supporting a wide variety of camp management
and camp coordination operations, including displacement tracking,
registration, and site planning.

For more information please contact:

Mark Turner

IOM Haiti

Tel: +509 3702 50 66

E-mail: "mailto:mturner@iom.int">mturner@iom.int