The 400,000 inhabitants of the Cité Soleil slum, where mountains of waste several meters high accumulate, are facing a “serious problem of environmental insecurity” threatening “their health and safety”, castigated two experts on Thursday. United Nations.
“The lack of adequate waste management in Cité Soleil violates the rights to life, health, food, water and sanitation as well as to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment”, denounced Marcos Orellana and Pedro Arrojo-Agudo in a statement.
In this district on the outskirts of the capital Port-au-Prince, there is no sewage system: the waste piles up in an open channel, “sometimes flooding the streets and the houses of the inhabitants”, and forming heaps of rubbish reaching three meters high, according to the press release.
Neighborhood residents burn some of this waste, creating a “constant haze of toxic smoke” that spreads dioxins and heavy metals throughout the slum.
The fate of children exposed to these fumes and waste is of particular concern, according to experts.
“They suffer from chronic and sometimes life-threatening illnesses that could be prevented,” they said, adding, “the authorities must urgently collect, remove or dispose of all waste in order to guarantee the basic rights of the inhabitants”.
The Haitian authorities, contacted by the experts on this subject, have not yet responded, the statement said.
One of the poorest countries in the world, Haiti has been plunged into a major political crisis since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021.
Entire districts of the capital are today under the control of armed groups, escaping the control of the Haitian authorities. Heavy fighting takes place there regularly.
