Solar lights make life safer for Haiti earthquake victims
Thứ tư, 26/10/2011 - 02:19
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Global Environment Facility have contributed $1.5m in grants for solar lighting that has cut crime at two earthquake settlement camps in Haiti.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Global Environment Facility have contributed $1.5m in grants for solar lighting that has cut crime at two earthquake settlement camps in Haiti.
A Haitian company, Green Energy Solutions, installed the lighting, erecting 68 lamp posts in Camp Caradeux, which houses 40,000 people, and 32 in Petionville Club, which holds 25,000.
Insufficient lighting had been a concern in the camps, which are two of the largest settlements in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Camp managers had resorted to curfews to try to curb violence after dark, but reported incidents of violent crime dropped sharply after the lamps were installed, according to Solar Electric Light Fund, a non-governmental organisation responsible for overseeing the work.
A second phase will be carried out during the next few months, with PV systems installed in 12 hospitals and health centres in southwest Haiti. Local electricians will be trained to maintain and repair the equipment.
“I am enthusiastic about this project because Haiti has a huge potential to harness solar power,” says IDB project manager Kenol Pierre Thys. “As a Haitian, I am glad it is helping to improve the living conditions of the people who have suffered the most.”
A Haitian company, Green Energy Solutions, installed the lighting, erecting 68 lamp posts in Camp Caradeux, which houses 40,000 people, and 32 in Petionville Club, which holds 25,000.
Insufficient lighting had been a concern in the camps, which are two of the largest settlements in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Camp managers had resorted to curfews to try to curb violence after dark, but reported incidents of violent crime dropped sharply after the lamps were installed, according to Solar Electric Light Fund, a non-governmental organisation responsible for overseeing the work.
A second phase will be carried out during the next few months, with PV systems installed in 12 hospitals and health centres in southwest Haiti. Local electricians will be trained to maintain and repair the equipment.
“I am enthusiastic about this project because Haiti has a huge potential to harness solar power,” says IDB project manager Kenol Pierre Thys. “As a Haitian, I am glad it is helping to improve the living conditions of the people who have suffered the most.”
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