Landscape of Haiti

Flooding water reasons

Aritibonire river

H a i t i : W a t e r s h e d

Haiti has one of the most environmentally destroyed landscapes in the world. Deforestation and soil erosion began during the colonial period and continues to the present. “The government since 1826 has legislated over 100 laws and policies aimed at protecting natural forests and soils. These laws have almost exclusively taken the form of taxes, prohibitions, penalties, and police efforts” (White.1994, p.6). As time continued they were not enforced. The attention has been to improve forests, soil conservation, and watershed projects at large scales. Most of the plans have come to a halt after the earthquake.

Port au Prince is located in the Cul de Sac flood basin. This particular spot has minimal flooding during the year, but during flood season damage is extensive.

Cul-de-Sac Cul-de-Sac

Cul de Sac is fed by 1580 km2 of watershed (Haiti. 2001, p.22). About 800mm of rains falls annually in Cul de Sac (Smucker. 2007, p.33)

Flood Prone Areas Watershed and Rivers in Hait i

Upper PlainAlluvial PlainLow Plain

0 10 20 40 60 80 km 0 10 20 40 60 80 km

Watershed Boundary

Rivers

(Smith. 2008, p.870) (Smucker. 2007, p.52)

(Smucker. 2007, p.53)

By: James DmytriwInstructor: Sheri Lee BlakeCourse: EVLU-4014

Cul de Sac Riviere Froide Momance

Cabaret

Montrouis

Cul de Sac Riviere Froide Momance

Cabaret

Montrouis

Cul de Sac Riviere Froide Momance

Cabaret

Montrouis

Cul De Sac basin has little soil erosion but is prone to flooding and extreme sedimentation. This area is very dangerous because of how many Haitians occupy this flood basin. The soil is contaminated with sewage and excess silts from the water supply. The southern part of the island is prone to extreme erosion during the raining seasons.

“Few watershed areas have been included in the protective areas system in Haïti. In a practical way, only watersheds located in the Réserve Nationale de la Forêt des Pins (by Port Au Prince), the Parc National de Macaya and the Parc National de la Visite should be considered as being a part of the protected area systems. These watershed roughly correspond to Fonds Verettes, Grande Anse, Cul de Sac, Roseaux-Voldrogue, Ravine du Sud, Rivière l’Acul, Rivière Port-à-Piment, Rivière les Anglais, Rivière Cavaillon, Rivière Glace, Rivière Roseaux and Grande Rivière de Jacmel Basins”. (Haiti. 2001, p.23)

“Haiti is divided into thirty three watersheds units which include over 158 rivers. Among them, four are considered as trans boundary watersheds. The most spectacular watershed unit is represented by the Fleuve de l’Artibonite (The Artibonite River) with a watershed of 9,500 km2”. (Haiti. 2001, p.21)

Soil Potential IndexPopulation Vulnerabil i ty IndexErosion Risk Index

High

LowHigh

LowHigh

Low0 10 30 5 20 40 Km

0 10 30 5 20 40 Km

0 10 30 5 20 40 Km

Soi l Condi t ions

(Smith. 2008, p.876)

(Smith. 2008, p.874) (Smith. 2008, p.877) (Smith. 2008, p.875)

(Smith. 2008, p.878) (Smith. 2008, p.876)

Saint Marc

DEFORESTATION Problems

Cul de Sac

Deforestation has played a critical role in the destruction of Haiti. “The index value of the Cul-de-Sac plain is more than three times higher than the second ranked Les Cayes, and more than 14 times the average index value of all watersheds. The sheer scale and acute vulnerability of the flood plains of Port-au-Prince makes Haiti’s major metropolitan areas a high priority for mitigating the risk of major disaster” (Smuker. 2007, p.68)

Due to high erosion across most of Haiti, soil collects in large quantities along rivers and streams. Siltation of the hydroelectric power plants resulted in decreased productivity. “For instance, the Barrage hydro-électrique de Péligre, the most important electric installation which provides 48 MW of hydro-electric energy lost 59 % of its capacity due to sedimentation” (Haiti. 2001, p.39).

“98.2% of debris found along coastal zones were found to be composed of various types of plastics mostly beverage containers” (Haiti, 2001, p.53)

Infrastructure Vulnerabil i ty Index Population Density

Erosion Risk

HighStreetsRiver

LowPopulation Intensity

High

Low

Water Basin: Cul De Sac

(Smith. 2008, p.884) (Adapted by James Dmytriw, Smith. 2008, p.884)

(Smith. 2008, p.870)

Before Hurricane Jeanie (12 May 2004) After Hurricane Jeanie (26 Sep 2004)

Soil deposits from erosion

Haiti Dominican Republic

(Smucker. 2007, p.22)

Port au Prince

“The project area is part of the Rwoho Central Forest Reserve, a gazetted woodland reserve. In total the reserve covers an area of 9,100 ha, of which 50 % is available for reforestation activities. This will employ 700 people. Of the 50 km of external boundary about 9 km follows streams while 41 km is an artificial boundary maintained as a planted cut-line with earth corner cairns and boundary-directional trenches. The reserve lies on top of a large flat-topped ridge running from North to South. The coordinates of the small-scale project are presented in the table below” (CDM, 2006, p.5)

“The Rouge River Gateway Corridor is one of the most important natural and cultural assets of southeast Michigan. It includes the river’s final eight miles and five neighboring communities.This area has all the ingredients of a vibrant urban place: nature, culture, people, and economic strength” (Wayne. 2003)

It is a project that has started to revitalize the river ecosystems at a small scale mainly with the help of communities in the area.

“Community groups will manage 7 % of the project area. In subsequent project activities the investor share of communities and/or private enterprises will be gradually increased considering the learning curve and the available track record from the first project cluster”. (CDM, 2006, p.2)

Precedents Rouge River, Michigan Rwoho Central Forest Reserve, Uganda

(Wayne. 2003) (Wayne. 2003) (CDM, 2006, p.32)

(CDM, 2006, p.37)

“Awareness activities on Watershed Management are essentially the fruit of NGO efforts and private firms involved in the sector. They mainly consist of having field training and applied Manual teaching soils conservation practices to farmers. The Haitian government since the 1980’s created through the MARNDR the Centre National de Formation en Aménagement des Bassins Versants du Limbé ( CFAIM). CFAIM provides training to Community Based NGO Groups and organizes specific seminar and workshops for professionals involved in the sector. State and private Universities assume also some important role in awareness activities” (Haiti. 2001, p.43).

“To stop this worldwide assault on watersheds and coastal environments, a particular and useful framework for addressing various kinds of threats to watersheds and coastal zones must be found” (Haiti. 2001, p.61). “Poverty and population pressure force growing numbers of poor people to live in harm’s way-on flood plains, in earthquake-prone zones and on unstable hillsides” (Smucker. 2007, p.9).

Conclusion: The population of Port Au Prince should spread into the flood plain creating less congestion in Port au Prince. Agriculture should become a main focus for watershed improvement. Initiating people to inhabit the landscape and make different permaculture interventions. Through farming the landscape flooding could become stabilize with less damage to the Haitian people. As people spread out they have the opportunity to farm and replant deforested areas that have the most erosion.

“The project area is part of the Rwoho Central Forest Reserve, a gazetted woodland reserve. In total the reserve covers an area of 9,100 ha, of which 50 % is available for reforestation activities. This will employ 700 people. Of the 50 km of external boundary about 9 km follows streams while 41 km is an artificial boundary maintained as a planted cut-line with earth corner cairns and boundary-directional trenches. The reserve lies on top of a large flat-topped ridge running from North to South. The coordinates of the small-scale project are presented in the table below” (CDM, 2006, p.5)

Port Au PrinceCurrent AgricultureExtended Agriculture

Ministry of Environment= Conservation of Ecosystems, Water policy, protection of watershed/ quality

Ministry of Agriculture= M-technology, watershed management, water surface and ground water

Ministry of Public Works= Management of potable water system, hydroelectricity, water supply/quality

Ministry of Planning= Zoning of the territory, spatial management strategies

Ministry of Health= Quality control, water supply

NGO Private Commercial= Water production, selling services, water resource and watershed management, water facilities construction, research and study

Municipalities= Execution of different projects related to water/watershed management, FUND RAISING

Characteristics of Agencies involved in the Water/ Watershed Management sector in Haiti

Intervent ionsAgriculture Expansion in Cul de Sac

(Adapted by James Dmytriw, Smith. 2008, p.884)

(Smucker. 2007, p.32)

(CDM, 2006, p.37)

(Haiti. 2001, p.45)

Watershed Presentation By James Dmytriw

Page 1

Haiti has one of the most environmentally destroyed landscapes in the world. Deforestation and soil erosion began during the colonial period and continues to the present. The first diagram shows flood prone areas. Among them is Cul de Sac, the most important watershed in Haiti because it affects a lot of people including the upper 1%. Investment in solving water management issues are top priority here.The basin is feed by 1580 km2 of watershed it is prone to extensive flooding during raining seasons.The table below the river and watershed diagram shows different rivers. Each river has a large watersheds, but Cul de sac has a greater shed then most of the major rivers.North of Cul de Sac is an area that does not flood this area is called Saint Marc. It has a watershed that feeds directly into the ocean. The major river Aritobone is located north of saint mark. Aritobone is one of the few rivers that crosses from the Dominican Republic and into Haiti having a larger watershed then Cul de Sac and flooding north of it. The land is naturally irrigated.Areas that have no flooding on the diagram are too steep or are mountainous areas but streams feed other watersheds. These mountainous areas come with a whole new set of problems.

Page 2

These three diagrams display Haiti’s soil erosion, population vulnerability and soil potential. The Cul De Sac basin has little soil erosion but is prone to flooding and extreme sedimentation. This area is very dangerous because of how many Haitians occupy this flood basin. The soil is contaminated with sewage and excess silts from the water supply that flood the basin. The southern part of the island is prone to extreme erosion dur-ing the raining seasons and hurricanes. Soil erosion has become an important factor in the treatment of water management. As more soil erodes, the worse the Flooding becomes due to lack of absorption. Areas with high erosion have little forests left to absorb water. The south side of Haiti is prone to extreme soil erosion during rain because of the proximity to Cul de Sac. In the population vulnerability index it shows that Port au Prince is in extreme danger (no shock there it has a 1580 km2 watershed). We can have a greater understanding where the Haitians like to live or more likely where they can live.That being said Cul de Sac has more issues then just flooding but the soil becomes contaminated and creates poor growing conditions. The northern watersheds and some southern watersheds have great soil condi-tions likely because all the nutrients and sediments fertilizing the soil, with a lack of sewage and waste the land is more fertile. North of Cul de Sac are Saint Marc, Tru de nord, Jassa, Cap Haitian which are fertile and have better living conditions.

Page 3

The 3D map of Cul de Sac gives a break down of what areas suffer the most from soil erosion. The worst erosion is higher up the mountain. Port au Prince is located at the base of a mountain and in the way of a large river (likely the Toius Rivere with a watershed of 898 km2 and a flow of 6.5 m/s). The most intense area of population is located at the base of the mountain. The severity of deforestation is obvious in the image of the Haitian border. After Hurricane Jean hit the south side of Haiti it left a river of sediment that destroyed multiple towns and villages and flooded Cul De Sac. The hurricane is apart of the yearly devastation expected in Port au Prince. Deforestation contributes to major flooding.

Page 4

I chose two precedents: one of a river system that is revitalized and the other of a reforested area. Two very different scales each accomplishing something unique. Rouge river is a significant project because it was started and implemented mostly with community involvement in the United States. The image on the bottom left shows the conditions before and what a section would look like after completion. They establish the eco-systems along the river and oxbow lacks. The area of intervention was small but wild life has flourished because of the eight mile intervention.

Rwoho central forest reserve in Uganda is a larger scale intervention. With an area of 4,550 ha of reforested area that over a cycle of 22 years would be harvested and replanted. This area employes 700 people and was initiated by the government. With help from investors it became a reality. It was developed in 2006 and from the map in the background which was taken in 2011 it has become a major success. The images bellow show how little trees cover the area and the planed intervention in the valleys along the mountains.

Page 5

n conclusion Port au Prince is located in a poor area but with water management at the core of any intervention no mater the scale the conditions can be changed. We need to seed the idea that blue gold is worth so much to the Haitians.Secondly with new farming techniques and understanding of permaculture can start to supply food for the average Haitian. The need to value forests and ecosystems is great and will promote water management. Build on and re-establishing the hillsides with trees and other plants needs to be a focus for future projects. A fruiting tree can last a long time and feed many people. Watershed management has many issues but bringing them to light will guide not only our designs but the way Haitians live and think about living.

Page 1

Google, “Map of Haiti”, Google map, 2011, accessed Jan 16, 2011(Background Image) <http://maps.google.ca/maps?client=safari&rls=en&q=port%20au%20prince&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl>

Page 2

“This is not a River” Haitian All-Starz, Jan12, 2011, accessed Jan 20, 2011 (Background Image) <http://haitianallstarz.com/profiles/blogs/haiti-visiting-the-source-of>

Page 3

Adamiker, D. Martin, “Port-au-Prince-TF”, Wikipedia, Jan 27, 2010, accessed Jan 24, 2011 (Background Image) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Port-au-Prince-TF.jpg>

Page 4

Google, “Map of Rouge River”. Google maps, 2011, accessed Jan 24, 2011 (Background Image) < http://maps.google.ca/maps?client=safari&rls=en&q=rouge%20river%20detroit&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl>Google, “Map of Rwoho Central Forest”. Google maps, 2011, accessed Jan 23, 2011 (Background Image) < http://maps.google.ca/maps?num=100&hl=en&q=uganda&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl>“The Rouge RiverGateway Corridor”, Wayne County Rouge River National Wet Weather Demonstration Project, Mar, 2003, accessed Jan 17, 2011 <http://www.rougeriver.com/pdfs/overview/gate-00.pdf>“Project Design Document From/For Small-Scale Afforestation and Reforestation Project Activities”, CDM- Executive Board, Sep 18, 2006, accessed Jan 17, 2011 < http://www.jaco-cdm.com/projects/pdf/005.pdf>

Page 5

Sam, “Fondwa Valley 02”, Flicker, Feb 24, 2009, accessed Jan 22, 2011 (Background Image) < http://www.flickr.com/photos/frozfoto/3277400848/>

General reference

“Haiti National Report: Integrating the Management of Watersheds and Costal Areas in Haiti” Haiti: Ministry or Environment, Sep, 2001, accessed Jan 17, 2011 < http://www.google.ca/search?num=100&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&&sa=X&ei=BE4_TY3XE8HZgQfIlbnYAg&ved=0CBUQvwUoAQ&q=HAITI+NATIONAL+REPORT+INTEGRATI NG+THE+MANAGEMENT+OF+WATERSHEDS+AND+COASTAL+AREAS+IN+HAÏTI&spell=1>Smucker, Glenn R, Mike Bannister, Heather D’Agnes, Yves Gossin, Marc Portnoff, Joel Timyan, Scot Tobias, Ronald Toussaint, “U.S. Aid/ Haiti: Environmental Vaulnrability in Haiti Findings and Recomendations”, U.S. Aid, April 2007, accessed Jan 15, 2011 <http://bukubaru.net/view?file=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2lsc29uY2VudGVyLm9yZy9ldmVudHMvZG9jcy9IYWl0aV9GaW5hbC5wZGY=&title=ZW52aXJvbm1lbnRhbCB2dWxuZXJhYml saXR5IGluIGhhaXRp>Smith, Scot E. and Daniel Hersey, “Analysis of Watershed Vulnerability to Flooding in Haiti”, World Applied Sciences, no. 4, 2008, accessed Jan 15, 2011 (Image) <http://www.idosi.org/wasj/wasj4(6)/18.pdf>White , Anderson T. and C. Ford Runge, “Common Property and Collective Action: Lessons from Cooperative Watershed Management in Haiti”, The University of Chicago Press, Vol. 43, No. 1,Oct., 1994, accessed Jan 14, 2011 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1154331>

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