Haiti - Environment : Donation of equipment for monitoring and measuring pollution
This week, the Ministry of the Environment through its Directorate of Life and Sanitation (DCVA) received from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), a donation of 3 pollumeter, devices worth 5,000 dollars for pollution monitoring in Haiti's cities.
In his intervention, Evans Louis, Director of the DCVA explained "[...] this pilot project represents a first phase in the process of building an air quality monitoring network across the country. The latter should allow, among others the Ministry of the Environment, to implement an effective policy to fight against pollution [...]" stating that these equipment powered by solar energy, will allow to provide in real time the atmospheric data of the areas covered, but also on the noise nuisance, the level of gas and the particles.
Julio Urruela Roquero, PAHO/WHO Water and Sanitation Adviser told the media that "[...] this equipment should contribute to strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of the Environment to collect reliable data on the level of air pollution in cities. These devices will make it possible to identify the sources, causes and effects of pollution and the factors that cause certain diseases in the population, such as : lung cancers, chronic cancers including asthma, respiratory diseases and conditions. acute etc... due to exposure to polluted air."
Through the establishment of a network of national pollutants, the Ministry intends to strengthen the database on different pollutants. This will then enable the development of a monitoring plan for pollutant emission sources and noise mapping in the target areas, from the perspective of a healthy and pleasant environment for the population.
These first 3 pollumeters will be placed in strategic locations in Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haïtien and Les Cayes.
