EKO - FACTS

ECOLOGY AND BIO-DIVERSITY 

Source: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Haiti

1. Hispaniolan moist forests originally occupied more than half (~60%) of the original vegetation on the island of Hispaniola, from the lowlands particularly on the eastern coast of the island (Haiti) to the valleys, plateaus, slopes and foothills of the many mountain ranges, up to an altitude of about 2,100 meters. Less than 200 km² of unaltered rainforest remains in Haiti.
2.  Hispaniolan dry forests
3.  Hispaniolan pine forests are located on slopes with shallow soils and higher elevations of the mountain systems. In Haiti, this ecoregion is only represented in parts of the Pic Macaya National Park and the La Visite National Park.
4.  Enriquillo wetlands are the remains of an old marine channel that divided the island of Hispaniola into two paleoislands more than 5,000 years ago. The largest lake in this ecoregion, Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic is the largest and most hypersaline lake in all of the Antilles. In Haiti, Saumatre Lagoon (Étang Saumatre or Lago Azuei) is the country's largest lake. It occupies another concavity 10 km west of Lake Enriquillo, separated from it by the Jimaní anticline.
5.  Bahamoan-Antillean mangroves/Greater Antilles mangroves cover about 134 km²of Haiti.

Map of Plastic Pollution in the Region

Graph of Waste Disposal Methods by Class

Source: Problems and Current Practices of Solid Waste Management in Port-au-Prince (Haiti), A. Bras, C. Berdier, E. Emmanuel and M. Zimmerman, July 2009. Waste Management, Volume 29, Issue 11, November 2009, Pages 2907-2909. 

Table - How long does it take to decompose? 

Safe and Sustainable Water Solutions

Table 1. Treatment methods used in Haiti and other developing countries.

Method	Pros	Cons	Cost	Sustainability	Links
SODIS Passive Solar Disinfection	Cheap; reuse bottles; simple	Water is warm; have to wait for water; turbidity sensitive	$	High	http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/solar-water-disinfection/ http://www.sodis.ch/methode/anwendung/index_EN
Plastic Biosand Filters	Effective; once primed provide quick water treatment	Time needed to develop biofilm; skill required to maintain; support needed; turbidity sensitive	$$$$$	Moderate	http://www.hydraid.org/
Concrete Biosand Filters	Effective; once primed provide quick water; can usually be built in country with local materials	Heavy and difficult to transport and move; skill required; turbidity sensitive	$$$$	Moderate	Biosand Filter.org Fact Sheet
Chlorine	Very effective when used properly; cheap	Bad taste to water; skill required; potential negative health impacts; doses vary depending on product being used	$	High	http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/h2oqual/watsys/ae1046w.htm
Boiling Rolling Boil for 1-3 minutes	Very effective at killing most pathogens	Expensive; contributes to deforestation; have to cool water before drinking	$$$	Moderate	http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/water-treatment.htm
Reverse Osmosis	Very effective at removing all pathogens	Very expensive; requires consistent fuel or power; skill required; maintenance required	$$$$$$	Low	Water Treatment Notes from Cornell University
Sawyer Filters	Very effective; Easy to use when proper education materials are provided	Expensive; may have to sterilize filters regularly; not well suited for areas with turbid water; backwashing can cause contamination	$$$	Moderate	http://www.sawyer.com/water.htm
Clay Filters	Cheap and can be made from local materials	Clay quality can affect treatment; skill required; may not be effective for some viruses and bacteria	$	High	http://www.pottersforpeace.org/?page_id=9
Ultraviolet Disinfection	Very effective; power requirements low (~ 200 watts for 40 gpm)	Flow rates low; can be complicated to install; maintenance required for bulbs	$$$$	High/Moderate	http://www.freshwatersystems.com/c-616-atlantic-ultraviolet-sanitron.aspx http://www.ultraviolet.com/water/minipu01.htm
Slow sand filtration	Can be scaled to larger water sources for schools and communities	Initial costs are high and require materials which may not be available on-site	$$$$	High/Moderate	Tech Brief from the National Environmental Services Center
Ozone Disinfection	Does not create harmful byproducts; does not alter taste; no residual chemicals	On-site equipment required is expensive and requires maintenance; ozone is reactive and corrosive	$$$$$$	Low	EPA fact sheet on Ozone Dissinfection

 

SODIS
Passive Solar Disinfection

Cheap; reuse bottles; simple

Water is warm; have to wait for water; turbidity sensitive

$

High

http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/solar-water-disinfection/
http://www.sodis.ch/methode/anwendung/index_EN 

Plastic Biosand Filters

Effective; once primed provide quick water treatment

Time needed to develop biofilm; skill required to maintain; support needed; turbidity sensitive

$$$$$

Moderate

http://www.hydraid.org/

Concrete Biosand Filters

Effective; once primed provide quick water; can usually be built in country with local materials

Heavy and difficult to transport and move; skill required; turbidity sensitive

$$$$

Moderate

Biosand Filter.org Fact Sheet

Chlorine

Very effective when used properly; cheap

Bad taste to water; skill required; potential negative health impacts; doses vary depending on product being used

$

High

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/h2oqual/watsys/ae1046w.htm

Boiling
Rolling Boil for 1-3 minutes

Very effective at killing most pathogens

Expensive; contributes to deforestation; have to cool water before drinking

$$$

Moderate

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/water-treatment.htm

Reverse Osmosis

Very effective at removing all pathogens

Very expensive; requires consistent fuel or power; skill required; maintenance required

$$$$$$

Low

Water Treatment Notes from Cornell University

Sawyer Filters

Very effective;
Easy to use when proper education materials are provided

Expensive; may have to sterilize filters regularly; not well suited for areas with turbid water; backwashing can cause contamination

$$$

Moderate

http://www.sawyer.com/water.htm

Clay Filters

Cheap and can be made from local materials

Clay quality can affect treatment; skill required; may not be effective for some viruses and bacteria

$

High

http://www.pottersforpeace.org/?page_id=9

Ultraviolet Disinfection

Very effective; power requirements low (~ 200 watts for 40 gpm)

Flow rates low; can be complicated to install; maintenance required for bulbs

$$$$

High/Moderate

http://www.freshwatersystems.com/c-616-atlantic-ultraviolet-sanitron.aspx
http://www.ultraviolet.com/water/minipu01.htm

Slow sand filtration

Can be scaled to larger water sources for schools and communities

Initial costs are high and require materials which may not be available on-site

$$$$

High/Moderate

Tech Brief from the National Environmental Services Center

Ozone Disinfection

Does not create harmful byproducts; does not alter taste; no residual chemicals

On-site equipment required is expensive and requires maintenance; ozone is reactive and corrosive

$$$$$$

Low

EPA fact sheet on Ozone Dissinfection