Moïse Fils Jean Pierre, the Minister of the Environment, notes that illegal quarrying activities continue in the Laboule area (Pétion-ville commune) and surrounding zones, despite his recent intervention supported by judicial and police authorities.

The Minister emphasizes that these fragile and geologically unstable areas are prone to landslides and rockfalls that could cause significant losses of property and human life. Quarrying operations were previously prohibited in 2010, and these measures were renewed in 2016 and 2021, and remain in effect.

The Minister wishes to remind the public that the 1987 Constitution, as amended in Article 36.5, stipulates that mines and quarries are part of the State's public domain and that private property rights do not extend to them.

Furthermore, quarrying operations are subject to environmental protection standards defined in Article 253 of the aforementioned Constitution and in Article 64.8 of the 2006 Framework Decree on Environmental Management and Citizen Conduct.

In addition, every quarry operator must hold an Operating Permit from the Bureau of Mines and Energy (BME), the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MTPTC), and an Environmental No Objection Certificate issued by the Ministry of the Environment.

Therefore, in accordance with its mission to ensure the protection of the population and the environment, while appealing to the civic responsibility of quarry operators in the name of the collective interest, the organization reiterates its commitment to upholding both the spirit and the letter of this prohibition by prosecuting, with the support of the judicial and police authorities, all violators who obstruct the enforcement of this ban.

HL/ HaitiLibre