World Bank sanctions $50m for Haiti’s water and sanitation improvement

The World Bank has sanctioned $50m to the Government of Haiti to improve water and sanitation facilities in the Caribbean country to prevent waterborne diseases.

The Department of Health and National Department for Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) in Haiti have estimated that an investment of $310m is required for water, sanitation and health facilities in the country in the next three years, to prevent deaths caused by cholera.

The funds have been approved ahead of the "Haiti: Clean water, Improved Sanitation, Better health" conference, to be held in Washington, US. The conference, to be chaired by World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim and UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon, will invite partners to invest in Haiti’s water and sanitation.

Jim Yong Kim said: "Cholera remains endemic and waterborne diseases are one of the leading causes of infant mortality in Haiti."

The funding will be used by the government to reach around two million Haitians in cholera hot spots in rural parts of the country. It will provide priority water and sanitation services for local schools and clinics in the communes.

The Ministry of Health in Haiti is already using $90m World Bank funds to provide necessary health services to 1.8 million mothers and children for five years.

According to the World Bank, almost 38% of Haitians are deprived of safe drinking water, while only 24% of families have access to improved sanitation.

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Image: Only 24% of families in Haiti have access to improved sanitation. Photo: courtesy of PWRDF from Canada.