Santo Domingo.– The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) signed a declaration to become one of the latest partners in a new regional coalition on water and sanitation for the elimination of cholera in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The coalition was launched in Salvador, Bahia, in June of this year to harness the necessary technical expertise, raise new funds, and mobilize previously committed pledges to fight cholera the Hispaniola island.
In signing the declaration, CARICOM has pledged to support efforts by the Domincan and Haitian governments to harmonize and streamline international assistance and investments in water and sanitation infrastructure aimed at eliminating cholera from the two countries.
According to PAHO, even before the January 2010 earthquake, only 69% of Haiti’s residents had access to safe drinking water. Access to sanitation had declined from 26% of the population in 1990 to only 17% in 2010.
In the Dominican Republic, 86% of the population had access to improved drinking water sources and 83% had access to improved sanitation in 2010.