Water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a key public health issue in international development. A range of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, chronic diarrhea, and others are caused by inadequate access to WASH.
According to the World Health Organization and the World Bank, access to improved sanitation is low in Haiti, and even worse in its rural communities. Most rural communities rely on surface water from rivers and wells, and this water in Haiti is typically contaminated with human feces and bacteria.
Soil erosion plays a significant role in worsening WASH problems. In rural communities, erosion deposits soil in water bodies causing siltation and making the water unusable. Additionally, soil erosion reduces ground water percolation, resulting in a lower water table and causing wells, which are sources of water in rural communities to become barren.
Rural communities cannot afford or access prepackaged drinking water, and instead rely on ground and surface water. This means that ground water must be made safe and accessible. Another issue caused by erosion occurs when sea water infiltrates ground water reserves. Those sinking boreholes to create wells will only find sea water. This has forced them to abandon wells and resort to surface water, equally threatened by soil erosion.
Soil erosion also damages watersheds, the sources of drinking water into larger cities.
The Grass Solution: The grasses Haitians are planting holds the soil in place to reduce erosion. In doing so, we provide access to water in rural communities and prevent the spread of disease.
Grasses protect surface water bodies, raise the water table, and reduce contamination and potential breeding grounds for disease.