Summary

In October 2010, cholera first appeared in Haiti and rapidly spread through a vulnerable population that had not been exposed to the pathogen in over a century. Thus far, there have been 420,000 infections, 6,000 deaths. In July 2011, one person was infected with cholera almost every minute, and at least 375 died. Poor & unequal access to potable water and sanitation is the primary culprit for the rapid spread of cholera. International Action's chlorinators can provide clean water and save lives

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Medical researchers have stated that the cholera epidemic in Haiti is much bigger and likely to be much longer lasting than initially expected. According to a study conducted by American researchers published in the medical journal, The Lancet, there could be nearly 800,000 cholera infections and 11,100 deaths between March and November of this year. As of today, the disease has killed more than 6,000 Haitians. A gradual improvement in access to clean water can save lives.

How will this project solve this problem?

Chlorinators are relatively simple, low-cost systems that work by chlorinating a portion of the water that passes through a tank and mixing this water with the remaining water so that the effluent water from the tank has an appropriate dosage of chlorine. Chlorinators that are provided at the community level can ensure that households who come to collect water have an appropriate dosage of chlorine for a set quantity of water. The advantage of chlorinators over other treatment systems is that

Potential Long Term Impact

Based on the results of a survey completed on our program, 76.9% of households who lived in a site with a chlorinator had positive chlorine residual greater or equal to the World Health Organization's standards. Out of all the households with positive chlorine residuals, 91.9% reported getting water from an International Action chlorinator. The households reported 0 cholera cases. International Acton's chlorinators are improving health and welfare in the most impoverished neighborhoods.

Project Message

The most commonly used drinking water source was community taps, used by 88.9% of households in chlorinator sites. The majority of respondents (86.0) believed their water was safe to drink.
- Eric Harshfield, Emory University, MPH, '12

Update - 3000 residents at Rosenberg in the town of Croix des Bouquets will be provided clean drinking water

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

The local leaders of Rosenberg contacted International Action and requested help. Previously, residents with enough resources purchased water from a privately owned water kiosk at 7 gourdes (US 17 cents) per gallon. The poor gathered any water they could from wells with untreated water. Upon the leaders’ request International Action installed a 2000-gallon water and a chlorinator, which will provide clean drinking water to the residents of Rosenberg. GPS is as follows: 18°38′ N 72°15′ W Chlorinators and chlorine tablets are readily available in Haiti to any organization operating in cholera-affected areas. Interested parties should email info@haitiwater.org or call +1 202.488.0735 in the US. Our Haiti Director Dalebrun Esther can be reached at +509 3712.6918.