March 31, 2023
The Ministry of the Environment of Haiti (MDE), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the National Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) and Helvetas Haiti officially launched on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 the project “Strengthening the climate resilience of the drinking water sector in the south of Haiti (RESEPSE)”. The ceremony took place at the Hotel 22/22 in Belle-Anse in the presence of Haitian government officials, local authorities, technical and financial partners of the Haitian State and representatives of partner institutions of the project.
Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to the tune of 4.6 million US dollars through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the project “Strengthening the climate resilience of the drinking water sector in the South of Haiti” will be executed by Helvetas Haiti and DINEPA on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment.
The general objective of this project is to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable rural and peri-urban communities in the Sud-Est department to the expected impacts of climate change on the availability of and access to drinking water. Three specific objectives are targeted by the RESEPSE project, planned over 60 months. This involves having (i) a better understanding and awareness of the vulnerability of the water sector to climate change; (ii) to strengthen regulatory and political frameworks, as well as institutional capacities at national, regional and local level for better management of drinking water in a context of climate change and finally (iii) to identify and promote drinking water conservation, management and supply practices adapted to climate change conditions
Aiming to guarantee access to drinking water for target communities and households, through the implementation of climate change adaptation measures , the RESEPSE project will be carried out in vulnerable areas of the South-East department. , including watersheds, recharge areas and water production points, drinking water supply systems (SAEP) from Cresson to Jacmel, from Bodarie to Grand Gosier, from Préchet to Belle-Anse, from the Cascade Pichon in Belle Anse and K-Royer in Thiotte.
This project is part of the overall framework of the Water Decade (2018-2028) and Goal 6 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The data available to date are conclusive and show that it is crucial to act on the water and sanitation sector taking into account existing climate risks.