Haiti Water Report. By James J. Kennedy Mayor, Rahway, New Jersey. March, Bon Repos, Haiti: typical water distribution procedure for the public

Transcription

1 Haiti Water Report By James J. Kennedy Mayor, Rahway, New Jersey March, 2010 Bon Repos, Haiti: typical water distribution procedure for the public The Haiti Water Story: My interest in water began when the City of Rahway entered a Public/Private Partnership [PPP] with United Water. Over the 20 years that I have served as mayor, certainly one of the most important issues that I had to deal with was the PPP contract with United Water and the city's water utility. Our partnership saved the city millions of dollars as it delivered better services and improved the quality of water. Due to our partnership I attended two World Water Forum conferences which exposed me to the serious side of tending water to developing countries. In addition, having served on the Board of Overseers at Seton Hall University, I developed an interest in international relations and issues that affect our global economy. I became familiar with the UN Millennium Goals, which challenge the world leaders in global water to find ways to provide pure water to 50% of the populations that do not have access to clean water. 1

2 In March of 2009, the Haitian Consulate invited me to attend a Haitian Day celebration. At the event I met a gentleman named Gordon Tapper, who was employed by the United Nations. He assisted Haitian officials on a specific water issue on the plateau of Haiti. Around the same time I also met a Princeton, New Jersey based company called WorldWater and Solar Technologies, which had patented an incredible mobile solar water purification system: the Mobile MaxPure. I shared my knowledge of the system with Gordon as a potential solution towards reaching millennium goals in Haiti. He explained to me that the project he was working on was geared towards personal water systems in the home. Although he was intrigued by the concept, it didn't fit the project at the moment. Ten months pass... At 4:53 p.m. on January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale crippled Haiti. That morning, watching the disaster on CNN, I was moved by the footage of the carnage. One of the images that appeared painted in graffiti on a wall was the message, "Water is Currency". It symbolized an odd plea for water, or its need. I called Gordon Tapper the day after the earthquake. I reminded him of our meeting, he remembered me and said he had thought about the purifier that very morning. He thought it would be very useful in Haiti due to the fact that the diesel machines had become relatively useless. Fuel was nearly impossible to transport around the country after the earthquake. He asked if there were any systems available, I informed him that there was one being assembled and I wanted to bring it to Haiti. Gordon agreed to help. My next call was to at 4:53 p.m.; Nadine had previously managed the Rahway water utility for United Water. Nadine is of Haitian descent, her brother and mother still live in Haiti. I knew she would have a strong feeling for assisting the people of Haiti, and would certainly understand the basic need for water. Suez Environment, the parent company to United Water, had already mobilized a humanitarian effort something that they are well prepared for. They immediately tapped Nadine as a resource. United Water stepped-up and agreed to support my effort to bring purified water to the people of Haiti. I was overwhelmed by the images that flashed before me every day, showing photo after photo of a small nation in need of help. With the assistance of the City of Rahway and United Water off I went, believing that this would be a short term effort. 2

3 During the third week of January, I received a phone call from a company representing Leigh Steinberg, the famous sports agent portrayed by Tom Cruise in the movie Jerry Maguire. Steinberg hosts an annual Super Bowl party which has a twist for providing an outlet for companies that have products beneficial to improving the environment as well as quality-of-life issues. Steinberg invited WorldWater and Solar Technologies to display the Mobile MaxPure water purifying machine. Mickey Ingles from WW&ST with Leigh Steinberg at the 2010 Super Bowl Party However, there was a problem: only one machine was available at the time, and that was the one I had purchased with United Water be shipped to Port-au-Prince. WorldWater and I saw this as an opportunity in terms of highlighting the Haitian plight as well as minimizing the cost of getting the machine shipped from Miami to Haiti. The WW&ST team drove the MaxPure to Miami. This is where the realities of trying to help go from being simple to one obstacle after another! It was at this gathering where Mickey Ingles, current Vice President of Operations for WorldWater and Solar Technologies and a former Peace Corps volunteer, met Captain Greg Brooks and made arrangements to ship the Mobile Max on the Sea Hunter to Haiti. Mickey had spent several years living in Haiti. Greg Brooks had sailed the seas around Haiti for years as a treasure hunter. It s worth your time to google Captain Greg Brooks and his ship the Sea Hunter; I'm sure you will find it quite interesting. Greg left Portland, Maine, shortly after the earthquake; his mission was to bring donated medical supplies to help the relief effort in Haiti. Next stop was Boston Harbor where more supplies were loaded aboard to help the cause. At this point the ship went from a sport adventure ship to a cargo ship; this would prove to be a bureaucratic nightmare. Once underway from Boston, the Sea Hunter and its crew hit a string of violent storms that wreaked havoc on the ship. Upon arrival in the Port of Miami, the Sea Hunter crew began to clean the ship and make necessary repairs for so final leg to Haiti. Now the Mobile Max was ready to deliver clean water for Haitian relief or so I thought. 3

4 The Sea Hunter was locked down by the Coast Guard due to ship conditions and cargo laws, as well as issues concerning custom fees. I reached out to Gordon Tapper, as well as a friend in New Jersey with great connections to the Coast Guard, for help. After many s and countless phone calls to embassies and government officials, Gordon and I finally got Captain Greg and his crew out of the harbor. We thought that we would be leaving for Port-au-Prince in a few days to receive the Mobile Max and deliver it to its final destination. We couldn't have been more wrong! I learned that under normal circumstances, things move at a different pace in Haiti; throw in a 7.0 earthquake and the country was effectively shut down. There was a new story every day as to why the Max couldn't be offloaded. Several weeks and ports later, a totally exhausted crew of volunteers on the Sea Hunter were becoming very disheartened with their relief efforts. Officials and an overwhelming amount of cargo added to the confusion and issues at each port. Captain Greg didn t bargain for or anticipate these complications. His mission began to sour. Citizens of Les Cayes bringing the Mobile Max to dry land Enter Bishop Bob, the Bishop at the Church of Light and Peace in Bon Repos, Haiti, the intended destination for the Mobile Max. He would be the caretaker for the device during its mission to deliver pure water to the Bon Repos area. With the new addition of a tent city comprising a considerable number of additional residents to the area, Bon Repos now faced unexpected issues that added new complications in providing clean water to the region specifically sanitation issues. Mickey and I arrived in Bon Repos a day or so after the Max arrived in an unexpected port: Les Cayes in the southern part of the country. Bishop Bob and his volunteers were able to get the Mobile Max off the Sea Hunter and on to dry land. Seemingly the hardest part of the saga was over; Mickey and I assumed we would finish our part of setting-up the Max and return home in a few days. Were we wrong, the next six days were touch and go. The story changed from hour to hour. We began to wonder if we would be seeing the Max in any short order. It was difficult to get a straight story as to the condition, location and approximate time of arrival of the Max. I began to really feel the pain of Captain Greg! The thought of trying to explain to the City of Rahway what happened to the Max or even where it was, became a daily nightmare for me. What appeared to be a no brainer in an attempt to help in a humanitarian effort was becoming a potential disaster. 4

5 At long last, the Mobile Max arrives at the mission orphanage! It was getting late, the sun was setting and I had to leave the country in the morning. The cell phone rang; it was Raguel Joseph, a young man who works at the orphanage mission for the Church of Light & Peace. We had been speaking during the day and were getting mixed messages as to the whereabouts of the Mobile Max. This call was different, it was within a mile. Finally when the transport truck came onto the property, I could truly relax! Conclusion: The Mobile Max being installed at Light & Peace Orphanage, Bon Repos My observations and opinions are simply based on a sense of practicality as well as my service of 20 years as a mayor of a small U.S. city. The relief effort and the reconstruction of Haiti are complex and reach far beyond the January 2010 earthquake. I am in no way claiming to be an expert in any of these fields, may they be logistics, Haiti or water! I was driven to this effort by compassion, an incredible machine, a worldwide company that looks at the big picture for humanity, as well as a love for travel, other cultures and history. I had the pleasure to of being the guest of an extraordinary family in Haiti, the family of Patrick Moynihan. Patrick runs the Louverture Cleary School. The school s mission is very broadbased. However, one principle that struck me as invaluable was the school s mission to offer a premier educational experience with a focus on keeping the graduates committed to the future of Haiti and to do so by encouraging students to remain in the country, thereby giving back their education for further development of this great country. One might say that Patrick and his family have sacrificed the last 13 years in their devotion to the Haitian Project. But visiting with this special family, I came to realize that this is different than sacrifice this is the true essence of their life. To me, there were a few obvious issues that the government of Haiti needs to address to create a sustainable economy. The need for safe and clean water is certainly among one of the first issues. A community can t thrive without it. The health and welfare of its citizens depend on it. 5

6 According to reliable statistics that I have seen, approximately 70% of the occupied hospital beds in developing countries are due to water borne disease. Women and children can not continue to spend countless hours meeting a basic need. Women need to be respected, and children need to be educated. The technologies and ingenuity are at hand. It takes the strength and willpower of local governments to provide this basic need! Haiti is the perfect proving ground for the water issues proclaimed by the UN Millennium Goals to provide 50% of its population with safe and clean drinking water by In my humble opinion, it can be achieved much sooner with willpower and tenacity. Running hand-in-hand with safe and clean water is the issue of garbage. Energy-from-waste technologies are of great need on the island. Landfill is not a practical approach with land being so valuable and populations so dense. The reduction of fuel and the byproduct of electricity, combined with the substantial amount of jobs created both through technology as well as collection of waste, are major benefits to the country. Common end source for waste products Much of the existing garbage, works its way into the water sources, further exasperating the ability to deliver clean water. Water treatment as well as the need to irrigate the nation for sustainable agriculture are essential. Lastly, investment in a comprehensive light rail system would be of tremendous value. Not just from a transportation perspective which is certainly greatly needed but also as it relates to job creation and education. The nation s legion of tap-tap drivers (passenger vehicles including vans, pickup trucks, cargo trucks, small or full-sized buses) could be retrained to be part of a modern transportation system. Higher level skill sets could be attained through advanced engineering education. Providing a light rail system would reduce the amount of carbon-based fuels, which are expensive to import and are environmentally damaging one of the most beautiful islands in the region. 6

7 WorldWater & Solar Technologies currently has 5 Mobile MaxPure units operating in Haiti. Two were on the ground prior to the earthquake. They were among the only purification systems that were operational in Port Au Prince immediately after the quake. The Mobile MaxPure has been delivering pure water to the Light and Peace Mission Orphanage as well as to the environs of Bon Repos, Haiti since March, I would like to return in Haiti in 2011 to secure a water storage containment system to maximize the success of this project and encourage replication of the concept. My special thanks to Suez Environment through its New Jersey-based company United Water for stepping up to the plate and making this effort happen. Respectfully, Jim Kennedy, Mayor City of Rahway, New Jersey 7