James Cadet, the Minister of the Environment, proceeded last week to the official hand over of the keys of heavy equipment to the town halls of Jérémie (Dept. Grand’Anse) and Ouanaminthe (Dept. North-East).

The ceremony took place in the presence of the Ambassador of Japan in Haiti Mizuno Mitsuaki, Astrel Joseph Director General of the Ministry, Fernando Hiraldo, Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP - Haiti), the Mayor of Jérémie, the representative of the Town Hall of Ouanaminthe, the coordinators of the Solid Waste Management (SCM) project and the executives of the Ministry.

This equipment delivery is part of the project "Strengthening the solid waste management system in Haiti" funded by Japan and technically supported by UNDP.

Through this project, the construction of two modern solid waste collection and management centers is also planned and that each Town Hall receives a set of materials which includes : a compression truck, a tipping truck and a backoe-loader.

In his speech, Minister Cadet affirmed that waste management was a major challenge for the entire planet and that Haiti was no exception to this sad reality. According to the Minister "[...] this large-scale project aims to stem the problem of solid waste in the two target cities."

While thanking the Japanese Government which finances this project and the UNDP for its technical support, the Minister invited the officials of these two Town Halls to make good use of this equipment for the benefit of the population.

Fernando Hiraldo explained "[...] waste represents a major issue in the world and especially in developing countries because of the poor means of institutions to manage this phenomenon. Through the GDS project, the municipalities of Jérémie and Ouanaminthe, which generate 6 and 10 tonnes of solid waste per day respectively, will be able to manage them better."

Ambassador Mitsuaki who said he was aware of the enormity of the challenges fazced by Haiti especially in terms of health, environment and natural hazards, renewed the commitment of the Japanese people alongside the Haitian people in the struggle to live in a healthy environment both on the socio-political level and on the environmental level.

It should be remembered that the SCM project is carried out in the communes of Jérémie and Ouanaminthe and supervised by the Ministry of the Environment through the Directorate of Living Environment and Sanitation (DCVA).

HL/ HaitiLibre