21962: Allouard: Re: 21919: lyall on Cost of Water in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Allouard <allouard@libertysurf.fr>

Croix des Bouquets, 2002, water was 2 gourdes the 5 gal. bucket

In the hills of Petion Ville, bucket is 5 gourdes for more than one year at
the dry season.
Same in Delmas area.

Price of water depends on areas and times : is "dlo tiyo" (pipe water -
CAMEP delivered water) available? Are there many private cisterns selling
water? is it raining? Is the closest cistern far? etc.

But, as far as I know, 5 gourdes the bucket is now a regularprice.
(Probably less in Plain where water is easier to get).

A truck load (3000 gallons if the truck guy is honnest/the truck cistern
good) is 1500 gourdes in Delmas 83 (some 42 US$).
Less in plain (closer to pump station) and more if you are in Montagne Noire
or Laboule trucks reach less easily...


An important part of the problem is almost nothing was/is done to collect
rains.
Should every house have a large cistern, many people would have water almost
all year round.

1/ But houses built several years ago usually have only a small cistern
because CAMEP used to deliver water every day.
Now deliveries in several areas merely stopped... or went down to once every
week or every other week...
I rent a house where deliveries where so abondant 2 years ago the courtyard
keeper used to sell it to neighborhood...
>From July to January, I received some 10 to 100 gallons a week; since
January, I received nothing... And I am supposed to pay 500 gourdes per
month... I just prefer to rely on rains and buy a truck load when I have...
CAMEP water is just too expensive... I will pay the bills when I will have
the service...

2/ Building a cistern is expensive... And many people have just the money to
build a simple house, they can't afford to build forst a cistern and then
the house upon it!


CAMEP suffers several problems; here those I am aware of:
1/ no control of distribution : they just open the gates and let water to
flow out...
2/ Damaged circuits: roads are receiving the most of the water as pipes are
just under asphalt and often cracked or cut by traffic, especially when
uncovered by enlarged holes (burning tires having been a state sponsored
activity for years, holes multiplied tremendously... as if tropical weather,
accidents and too heavy trucks and no maintenance were not enough to destroy
the roads...).
3/ No control of deliveries: customer pays (is asked to pay) 500 gourdes (14
US$) a month whatever amount of water he receives. Result is water is wasted
in several parts, people not caring to shut their gate when their cistern is
full... water then goes in their garden, courtyard, or more often just runs
to the street... And in other parts, especially if at the end of the
section, not enough pressure, or no water at all is left for customers. I
heard about CAMEP puting some water meters but never saw one.
4/ Like with electricity, no program in distribution: customer does not know
when he will receive water... It seems highly rational to think neither the
CAMEP workers know when they will give it... Kind of structural anarchy like
with EDH. Customer cannot organize in order to benefit efficiently from
delivery.


Obvioulsy, deforestation, anarchic building even in "protected" areas, all
that increased tremendously in the last years, and make situation worst as
CAMEP sources lessen or dry. And former governemnt has a responsability in
that, and the new one has to address the question quick and strong...
But as in other areas in Haiti, better use of actual ressources would be
sufficient... Less in enough if you stop wasting it!!!