The destructiveness of the 2010 earthquake that hit the country killed over three hundred thousand and demolished a substantial part of Port-au-Prince. The U. S. And other donors promised to rebuild the country. Their planned hope was to cast away its history of dependence on foreign assistance. Once relief efforts petered out, the work was slowed down. Haiti reconstruction efforts according to its critics have not amounted to much.
The U. S. Government has already spent USD 1.3 billion on rescuing vulnerable lives. Yet when the goals shifted after three months to laying the groundwork complications took over. Provision for 1.8 billion in funds for rebuilding has been made. But two years since the earthquake, observers see partial progress.
Progress after two years includes removal of about half of the rubble. Many damaged homes have been repaired and over one million Haitians have been relocated from their temporary residence in tents. That still leaves about 370,000 in tents according to estimation of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
A water or sewer system still needs to be built in the capital, as the country deals with the biggest cholera outbreak in the globe traced to a U. N. Peacekeeping unit from Nepal after the earthquake. Fixing the electricity system is still a work in process. In the meantime, the capital is supplied with electricity for just 10 hours a day. About 18 million has been spent so far on electricity, mostly to build a power plant for an industrial park in the north in Caracol. The largest program for employment so far is a clothing manufacturing plant being built there.
Half of the 1.8 billion promised for rebuilding remains with the U. S. Treasury. The quake had bared the profound dysfunction in Haiti. A new beginning was announced in September 2012 with the Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe announcing a new reconstruction commission to replace the defunct interim commission created in the aftermath of the earthquake to oversee rebuilding.
World Bank officials have reported that the Bank has obtained 396 million. Of that 274 million were identified by the government for 17 projects and allocated to meet their needs. Since the expiration of the two year mandate of the interim commission in October 2011, reconstruction has been arrested. The government has not identified projects for spending approval. By September 2012, 120 million remained from a set amount of 551 million. Irrespective of what funds are utilized for, the challenge is to see what tangible results will be years later. Billions given decades prior to the quake have not much to show for the amount disbursed in the past.
But, there is some good news. Tentative drilling has discovered copper, gold and silver reserves in the mountain range in the northeast. It has been estimated the value is approximately USD 20 billion. The full worth, jointly held with the Dominican Republic, is an estimated 23 million ounces potentially valued at about USD 40 billion. Actual mining it is said shall commence in five years.
The boost would be welcome to government with an annual budget of USD 1 billion. Especially since over 50 percent of this amount is from foreign donors. This mineral wealth casts some hope for the ten million Haitians, a good part of whom do not earn more than 1.25 USD a day. They deserve to see their lives improved. A government that wisely manages Haiti reconstruction projects will serve the population well.
The U. S. Government has already spent USD 1.3 billion on rescuing vulnerable lives. Yet when the goals shifted after three months to laying the groundwork complications took over. Provision for 1.8 billion in funds for rebuilding has been made. But two years since the earthquake, observers see partial progress.
Progress after two years includes removal of about half of the rubble. Many damaged homes have been repaired and over one million Haitians have been relocated from their temporary residence in tents. That still leaves about 370,000 in tents according to estimation of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
A water or sewer system still needs to be built in the capital, as the country deals with the biggest cholera outbreak in the globe traced to a U. N. Peacekeeping unit from Nepal after the earthquake. Fixing the electricity system is still a work in process. In the meantime, the capital is supplied with electricity for just 10 hours a day. About 18 million has been spent so far on electricity, mostly to build a power plant for an industrial park in the north in Caracol. The largest program for employment so far is a clothing manufacturing plant being built there.
Half of the 1.8 billion promised for rebuilding remains with the U. S. Treasury. The quake had bared the profound dysfunction in Haiti. A new beginning was announced in September 2012 with the Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe announcing a new reconstruction commission to replace the defunct interim commission created in the aftermath of the earthquake to oversee rebuilding.
World Bank officials have reported that the Bank has obtained 396 million. Of that 274 million were identified by the government for 17 projects and allocated to meet their needs. Since the expiration of the two year mandate of the interim commission in October 2011, reconstruction has been arrested. The government has not identified projects for spending approval. By September 2012, 120 million remained from a set amount of 551 million. Irrespective of what funds are utilized for, the challenge is to see what tangible results will be years later. Billions given decades prior to the quake have not much to show for the amount disbursed in the past.
But, there is some good news. Tentative drilling has discovered copper, gold and silver reserves in the mountain range in the northeast. It has been estimated the value is approximately USD 20 billion. The full worth, jointly held with the Dominican Republic, is an estimated 23 million ounces potentially valued at about USD 40 billion. Actual mining it is said shall commence in five years.
The boost would be welcome to government with an annual budget of USD 1 billion. Especially since over 50 percent of this amount is from foreign donors. This mineral wealth casts some hope for the ten million Haitians, a good part of whom do not earn more than 1.25 USD a day. They deserve to see their lives improved. A government that wisely manages Haiti reconstruction projects will serve the population well.
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