Land Problems and Access to Drinking Water in the Arrondissement of Môle-Saint-Nicolas, a Sociopolitical Reality to Address (2006-2023)
- Land problems disrupt access to drinking water for many households and institutions in the Môle-Saint-Nicolas arrondissement, and have done so for many years.
- The thesis surveyed 422 randomly chosen households, using a questionnaire, an interview guide and an observation grid.
- The cause identified is that project owners did not formalize a collaboration protocol with site owners when water works were built; distribution also differs from one community to another.
- Landowners obstructed water pipes in the case of 75% of households, and 84% of cases involved sabotage of supply lines to protect gardens during repairs. 36% of water networks were dysfunctional.
- 59% of households walk more than 500 m to alternative water points, and 40% of respondents have at least one household member in conflict at water points.
- The thesis proposes the MART approach, a socio-legal method to help water actors, including landowners, resolve land problems in a preventive way.
The thesis asks why land problems restrict access to drinking water for households in the Môle-Saint-Nicolas arrondissement, although the territorial collectivities and the National Directorate for Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) are meant to ensure access. It uses a mixed method with a household questionnaire, an interview guide and an observation grid, applied to 422 randomly chosen households.
The study finds that project owners did not formalize a collaboration protocol with the owners of the sites when water works were built, and that water distribution differs from one community to another. Landowners react by obstructing or sabotaging pipes, and households sabotage lines to push DINEPA to build water kiosks. The thesis proposes a socio-legal approach, called MART, to help water actors resolve land problems in a preventive way.
How to cite
Université de la Renaissance d'Haïti (URH), 2024, Land Problems and Access to Drinking Water in the Arrondissement of Môle-Saint-Nicolas, a Sociopolitical Reality to Address (2006-2023), https://lescientifique.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/These_Dr-Noel-AGELUS_-28.06.2024.pdf
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- Université de la Renaissance d'Haïti (URH)