21436: Esser: From: Garbage in capital worries people living in Port-au-Prince (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

Agence Haïtienne de Presse

April 15, 2004

The degree of unhealthiness of the capital is the main worry of
people living in Port-au-Prince today

Port-au-Prince, April 15, 2004 -(AHP)- The situation of unhealthiness
of the Haitian capital has never been so alarming as in these last
two months. On every street corner, stinking litter pile up and
stretch out sometimes over a great distance. Animals leftovers are
also among most of those litter piles.

Corpses have also been left in the streets the day after Aristide's
hasty departure.

Up until now, very few efforts have been done to pick up the tons of
garbage lying in the many streets of the capital. In some
neighborhoods, this situation has been lasting for almost two months
now.

Downtown, these piles of litter greatly disrupt the flow of
pedestrians and traffic and also cause accidents. And the small
shopkeepers of Port-au-Prince's commercial center already cried out
their discontent. The first signs of dissatisfaction towards the
Latortue government are beginning to show.

"They had promised us that the capital would be cleaned up, that
security would be reestablished and that life would be easier, but it
is disappointment " Marie exclaimed, while she was selling her
products between two piles of litter. Another citizen called the
leaders of the Group of 184 to contribute to clean up the capital.

"What good is it to organize movements to overthrow a legitimate
government to then leave the population in the dirt", Raymond
declared. Another young woman declared for her part that " What we
want is peace, security and enough to give food to our children".

Since 1998, the Metropolitan Service of Solid Litter Pick up (SMCRS)
has been in charge of picking up the garbage. It is a decentralized
organization from the Ministry of Public Works. The National Center
of Equipment(CNE), is also involved in this operation, but litter is
picked up by employees of the road maintenance service of
Port-au-Prince's council.

Since the fall of Duvalier's dictatorship in 1996, the cleaning of
the capital has always been a challenge for the different governments
that came after. While they wait for efforts to be done, people
living in Port-au-Prince still have to get used to evolve in this
stinking environment.

Ophthalmologist Frantz Large declared this Thursday that the piling
of litter in the streets was a problem of public health. According to
doctor Large, this situation can cause epidemics. He declared that
the fact that litter is almost permanently present in the streets is
a real threat for the population's health.

He considers that it is indispensable that urgent measures are taken
in order to solve this situation. Frantz Large expressed the wish
that the authorities in place show political willpower in this sense.
The social contract must also take this situation into account, he
declared.

For his part, President of Port-au-Prince's communal commission Yves
Médard, denied any responsibility in the non-cleaning of the capital.
Yves Médard declared that Port-au-Prince's town council has no
responsibility in picking up the litter. "This is the job of the
Metropolitan Service of Solid Litter Pick up (SMCRS) and the National
Center of Equipment (CNE)", Yves Médard declared.

For their part, employees of the road maintenance service demand Yves
Médard's resignation and the payment of many months of overdue wages.
These employees denounced the mayor's management whom they accuse of
not taking their demands into consideration. Yves Médard strongly
denies the employees' accusations and announce that some measures
have been taken to pay them.
.