As violence and insecurity have forced more than 578,000 people to flee their homes in Port-au-Prince, 112,000 of whom are now living in 96 informal settlements in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, including schools, churches and sports fields

Many of these sites lack water and sanitation facilities, such as latrines. This leads to harsh and dangerous living conditions, and increases the risk of water-borne diseases. In recent months, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has stepped up its efforts to provide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to people living in makeshift camps across the city, seeking refuge in overcrowded settlements.

As part of an emergency response, MSF has provided more than 4.5 million litres of treated water in 15 sites. It also trained site managers in water chlorination and hygiene, built or renovated nine latrines and nine emergency showers, and distributed hygiene kits.

In areas where access to treated water and latrines is inadequate, MSF mobile clinics treated hundreds of people for waterborne diseases, including acute watery diarrhoea and scabies, a hygiene-related skin condition. Cholera, which has flared up several times in Port-au-Prince since 2022, remains a significant threat in these conditions.

However, the need for treated water and sanitation in displacement sites and neighbourhoods affected by violence far exceeds what MSF can provide.

Efforts are underway to identify actors who could continue to provide water in the 15 sites served by MSF beyond 31 August. This is indeed the date on which MSF’s water and sanitation services are scheduled to end in these areas.

"As an emergency medical organisation, we stepped in to fill gaps in water and sanitation services when the health situation became critical and no other major actors were able to respond," says Sophie Mealier, MSF Project Manager. "Now that access to existing sites has improved, it is time for other actors to respond to these needs. For our part, we continue to focus on the most difficult-to-reach areas and on critical health needs."

MSF staff highlight that protracted displacement brings other challenges. "For example, while MSF provides safe water and other services, sanitation remains a major challenge. Waste management is also a persistent problem, exacerbated by the control of armed groups over disposal sites," explains Frenso Désir, MSF Water and Sanitation Project Supervisor.

MSF is calling for more humanitarian assistance to meet the urgent needs of displaced communities. These needs include water, sanitation and hygiene services such as water trucking, rehabilitation of latrines and showers, distribution of hygiene kits and hygiene and health promotion. MSF also urges stakeholders to allocate the necessary resources to ensure the safety and dignity of displaced people.

HL/ HaitiLibre