Solar Powered Water Desalination & Distribution Center
In “The Forgotten Haiti” island of La Gonâve, residents are often forced to gather water from garbage-filled ravines. But what if the island were able to draw on the Caribbean sun and the salty sea water to create clean, safe, and accessible water instead?
Project Information
Project Status: Active
Start Date: 2019
End Date: Ongoing
Countries: La Gonâve, Haiti
Resources
Turning brackish water into clean water
Haiti currently has the highest infant mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere and the leading cause of infant mortality and illness in the children of Haiti is contaminated water. In fact, Haiti also has one of the highest incidence rates of cholera—a waterborne disease—in the world. Almost 10,000 people have died from the disease since 2010 and more than 27,000 suspected cases have been reported so far this year, an estimated 1 in 3 of them children.
That’s why World Hope is partnering with GivePower and West Indies Self Help (WISH) to develop an installation in La Gonâve which will support the community in Anse-à-Galets. The project will include a 20,000 gallon per day solar-powered desalination system that would support both tap water and bottled water.
The local community will be the primary benefactor of this self-sustaining, environmentally friendly, solar-powered water desalination and distribution center, while local businesses such as the nearby hospital and clinic will consume the additional capacity.
Project Goals
- To produce 20,000 gallons per day of clean water for tap and bottle
- To provide locals with opportunities for entrepreneurship through micro-enterprise
- To provide clean water for the nearby hospital and clinic
- To reduce the amount of illness and mortality rates from water-bourne diseases and contaminated water
Expected Outcomes
- A healthier population in Anse-à-Galets due to consumption of clean water
- An lift in the local economy due to the micro-enterprise opportunities
- Secure access to water for the population
- Reduced interuptions to the functionality of the local hospital and clinic
We are grateful for this opportunity to partner with World Hope and WISH to bring a reliable clean water source to tens of thousands of people.
SELF-SUFFICIENT
GivePower will work with WISH to maintain the equipment and sell the water to the community at a rate that is typically equal to or lower than the current market rate. The sale of the water allows the installation to be entirely self-sufficient, covering the ongoing maintenance of the equipment and salaries of the local technicians and staff.
MICRO-ENTERPRISE OFFSHOOTS
The desalination plant also presents locals with opportunities for entrepreneurship by creating micro-distribution companies that can purchase and deliver the water to people’s homes.
ENVIRONMENTALY FRIENDLY
In addition to providing safe water to the community using solar-power, the project will likely consist of a bottling operation that will sanitize, bottle, and seal reusable 5-gallon jugs—with no single-use plastics.
“I understand water is indispensable in life. You think, when you can’t get good water, kids can’t cope. Our bodies can’t live without good water. We use water to drink, wash our clothes, our bodies, cook food. And we can’t do without it.”
