IOM is launching a new comprehensive environmental health and sanitation strategy to monitor and tackle the challenging conditions faced by hundreds of thousands of Haitians displaced by the January 12 earthquake.
Over the coming weeks, IOM's environmental health and sanitation unit (EH/WASH) will train residents in 15 camps to report on crucial health issues such as water, sanitation and hygiene issues.
The teams will also focus on vector control - fighting mosquitoes in order to prevent malaria and dengue fever - as well as environmental hazards, especially flood risks, ahead of the rainy season.
Dr Felix Diesner, IOM's Project Manager said: "Adequate sanitation, water and hygiene are not only basic human needs, but also the best option we have to prevent disease outbreaks."
"The environmental conditions we live in affect us deeply; the air we breathe, the soil we walk on, the presence of trash. Imagine being forced to live in a camp, with people you might not know and where every moment is a challenge. You might start to think that simple disciplines like hand washing are trivial, but they are more crucial than ever for maintaining health."
IOM's EH/WASH team, funded by the Swedish International Development Corporation Agency (SIDA) assisted US marines (Tiger Team) during a recent flood risk assessment in 21 sites, advising on strategies to mitigate possible flash flooding.
"We must figure out the best way to address the potential for flooding - whether we drain canals, move people to higher ground by elevating the tents, or relocate them to other places," said Christian Poteau, IOM's national EH/Wash Engineer. "If nothing is done, the most vulnerable could lose their life in a second as a result of mudslides or rain. Making an assessment will guide us in making better decisions."
The unit's primary focus is a real-time monitoring system, to track the sanitary situation in displacement sites and to detect immediate and structural challenges.
IOM is working closely with the Haitian government, many UN and NGO partners and camp populations in order to establish that system.
"Good information leads to good decision making," says Dr Diesner, who says the monitoring system will promote sanitation, hygiene, more effective solid waste management and "vector control," addressing potential disease carriers such as mosquitoes.
A "Rapid Response Team" led by engineers will address emergencies through activities involving the camp populations.
IOM will also launch a series of hygiene education exercises, including the use of dancers, theatre groups and posters, in order to promote healthier living.
"The challenges we face in Haiti are difficult because of their sheer quantity and their many causes, but everything we do today is the basis for a better life tomorrow. That's our motivator, and it's a strong one," says Dr Diesner.
For more information, please contact Mark Turner at IOM Port-au-Prince, Tel +509 3702 5066 / 3490 6678, Email: mturner@iom.int or Bertrand Martin, Tel+509 3859 8619; email: bmartin@iom.int