Following the decision to temporarily suspend sand extraction at the Cabri Morne https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23300-haiti-notice-suspension-of-extraction-of-sand-at-the-morne-cabri.html the Ministry of the Environment (MDE) initiated in a correspondence steps with the Ministry of Public Works and the Bureau of Mines and Energy for the definition of a credible alternative for the rational exploitation of quarries that receive an environmental no objection.

Recall that out of 140 quarries identified in the West Department https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22394-haiti-news-zapping.html 89% of the operators are illegal and do not have any authorization to exploit from the State...

Letter from the MDE to the Minister of Public Works Fritz Caillot :

"[...]

Subject: Joint emergency measures between the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Public Works / Bureau of Mines and Energy for more rational use of quarries.

Mr.Minister,

Faced with the recurrence of a series of incidents ranging from the risks of fatal accidents to environmental risks (landslides, rockfall etc...) involving the uncontrolled exploitation of sand quarries all over the country (Méyer in South-East, West and North-West), the Ministry of the Environment draws the attention of the Ministry of Public Works to the urgent need for concerted drastic measures to be taken by both institutions with a view to prevent future accidents and saving lives in these quarries.

The latest incidents https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23321-haiti-news-zapping.html plead, indeed, for a moratorium with suspensive effects of short duration (not to penalize the economy) in view with the owner operators of quarries:

• To establish a list, by communes in each Department, of quarry sites where exploitation is authorized ;

• To define the specifications describing the conditions in which the exploitation should be done ;

• To subject from now to an environmental audit of the sites where incidents have been recorded and this notwithstanding the obligation to issue the environmental no objection required for regular operations of quarrying.

It is also requested that an inter-institutional watchdog platform, which would include the Ministries of Environment and Public Works, the Ministry of the Interior, be set up to ensure close monitoring of evolution of the conditions of exploitation of quarries [...]"

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23321-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23300-haiti-notice-suspension-of-extraction-of-sand-at-the-morne-cabri.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22399-haiti-environment-89-of-quarries-are-illegal-in-the-west.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-9566-haiti-environment-illegal-exploitation-of-quarries-and-rivers.html

HL/ HaitiLibre