A UN Environment Programme team has been in Haiti assessing the environmental needs of reconstruction and says there will be tens of millions of tonnes of demolition waste to deal with, as well as oil and chemical spills and the environmental impact of massive population displacements.

While the most urgent needs remained water, healthcare, food and shelter, there will be major environmental challenges too, says UNEP. It has been working to put in place medical waste disposal facilities and says $1m of the UN’s $575m flash appeal will be available for environmental intervention.

“UNEP will continue to support the people of Haiti and the international community throughout the emergency and early recovery phases, through targeted interventions aimed at mitigating further environmental risk, ‘building back better,’ and ensuring long-term sustainable recovery,” it says.

UNEP says multiple small landslides are visible on all the hillsides in the impacted area, and although there was little movement at first, thanks to the coral sand geology and dry weather, many more landslides should be expected when the rains arrive. The quake destabilised slopes and blocked drains with debris and there is high potential for improvement work through better hydrology, slope vegetation and stabilisation and geological engineering.

Over a million people moved to less affected rural and urban areas in the western part of the southern peninsula and central and northern part of the country from the worst affected areas. Many of them could be available to help with sustainability, disaster risk reduction and other activities including cleaning up, urban catchment rehabilitation and reforestation.

UNEP already had a regeneration initiative in Haiti and says concerted action will be necessary over the next 20 years.

http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=608&ArticleID=6454&l=en&t=long  

http://oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Environment/Pages/default.aspx