Began in mid-August, three infrastructure projects totaling $USD460,000 gradually transforming the City of Independence [Gonaïves]. It is 600 linear meters of canalization ($157,800), of the construction of 15 culverts ($181,000), and of a soil conservation project ($120,700). Ultimately these works will generate 2,500 direct jobs. These three projects should be completed by the end of 2011.

"These projects aim to reduce flood risk and reducing community violence through the creation of jobs, improving health conditions of the community and strengthening the internal drainage of the city," stated Ibrahima Sylla, Regional Manager of the section Reduction of the Violence in the Community (VRC) of the Minustah who is funding this project in the Artibonite.

For his part, Pierrelus Saint-Justin, the mayor of Gonaïves, welcomed the efforts of the Minustah for its town, specifying "...the town hall and other state institutions participating not only the supervision of works but also to the conception of projects."

The execution of canalization works realized in masonry of rock by the Society of Action in Development and Architecture (SADA) started August 15 on both sides of the street Lozamar, a busy street of downtown of Gonaïves. These works are accompanied by a program to remove 12.000 cubic meters of garbage. Concerning the 15 culverts that must decongest the city, their construction began on September 20, 2011. Regarding the program of soil conservation, it is to develop the watersheds with stone walls near Bayonne [third communal section of Gonaïves].

HL/ HaitiLibre