What the Jan. 12 earthquake means for the country’s ecosystem.
By Nina Shen Rastogi
Posted on Slate on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010, at 9:33 AM
It’s a small solace, but the terrifying 7.0-magnitude earthquake seems not to have caused any major, immediate damage to Haiti’s ecosystem. According to Asif Zaidi, operations manager of the U.N. Environmental Program’s Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch, there has been one small spill near a coastal oil terminal, some minor warehouse fires, and a few small landslides close to Port-au-Prince, but nothing that requires a significant emergency response.
As the situation stabilizes, clearing away the waste and debris will become an urgent priority. It’s too early to estimate just how much building rubble must be moved, but considering that 80 percent to 100 percent of the structures in some areas were destroyed, Zaidi says it’s likely to be “a staggering amount.” Some of the demolition material, like steel and iron bars, can be salvaged and recycled; the rest can be crushed and used for rebuilding roads. (Ideally, debris management will also provide employment for many local workers.) The growing amount of medical waste, particularly from makeshift tent hospitals, is also an increasing concern: At the moment, it’s unclear whether there are any safe disposal options for this hazardous material. Public-health experts are also worried about all the human waste generated by survivor camps.
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