CARE: Quick Work on Water Has Prevented Disease After Haiti Quake

A young biy gets clean drinking water from a water tap installed by CARE. (2010 Evelyn Hockstein/CARE)   CARE staff at a sanitation facility installed by CARE in a make-shift camp. (2010 Rick Perera/CARE)

On the occasion of World Water Day, CARE is emphasizing the crucial need for safe drinking water in the aftermath of major emergencies like the January 12 quake.

"We are relieved that there have been no large-scale reports of diseases, such as cholera, that are frequently a risk after major disasters," said Sophie Perez, CARE Haiti country director. "Our work providing safe water, sanitary facilities, and hygiene supplies, and our outreach to the public promoting good hygiene practices, has been largely successful in this regard."

Still, said Perez, the challenge remains to ensure access to safe water by the height of the rainy season, expected by mid-April.

"CARE has been responding to emergencies in Haiti since 1954, most often in the aftermath of hurricanes and tropical storms," continued Perez. "Time and again we find that flooding brings with it the risk of disease. Extreme thirst can drive people to drink contaminated water. It's vital to ensure that safe drinking water, as well as facilities like emergency latrines, are available to all who need them."

CARE responded within a day of the earthquake with purification solution capable of making even the dirtiest water safe to drink. Shortly thereafter, the agency began setting up "bladders," portable rubber reservoirs holding 10,000 liters, which are placed near spontaneous displaced-persons camps and regularly refilled by tanker trucks.

Meanwhile, CARE continues to install proper sanitary facilities at sites where homeless people are living, and to promote good hygiene practices such as hand-washing by means of theatre, dance and singing.

Longer term, CARE's goal is to work with Haitian authorities to restore and expand public water supplies, both in existing neighborhoods and for new areas designated for transitional housing for earthquake survivors.