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Lake Azuei: An important resource in Haiti being wasted
June 1999

By: Fritznel OCTAVE

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Lake Azuei is a huge lake, located Northeast of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. It is about 40 kilometers from Port-au-Prince, and very close to the village of Fond Parisian. This large area of water represents an important natural and economic resource for the country. Unfortunately, there is no plan or project in place to make good use of this natural resource.
Lake Azuei is blue like the sea, but the water is neither salty nor sweet. For this reason it is also known as "Etang Saumatre" (brackish lake). According to many professionals in the area of environmental studies, the lake results from a geological phenomena, where sea water was mixed with the sweet water coming from many springs. There are also waterfalls, often a beautiful sight to the eye: one of the larger waterfalls, in its descent, is transformed into beautiful thick clouds of vapour.

Geologists state that for thousands of years, the lake separated the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic into a Northern and Southern island. After many natural movements, the sea retreated and left various lakes surrounded by new land in both countries. Among the specialists on the history of this zone, is the Haitian demographer Edmond Magny who wrote a book published in 1991, "Haiti, Another Look at the Natural Environment".

Mr. Wells, a biologist from Florida, informs that up to the 1980s, the water of the lake was a useful resource: "People could drink the water without any problems because in many ways it was possible to filter the water, such as through grass and sand. Such simple filtering systems provided very good protection."

Lake Azuei is about 113 square kilometers. Each day the lake gets deeper and deeper. According to specialists this is caused by environmental degradation. In 1988, the deepest measurements were 24 to 30 meters, as stated by John B. Thorbjarnarson in the bulletin of Biology and Science of Florida.

Edmond Magny confirmed this information and stated that by 1991 the lake had risen to 15 meters above sea level. However, from 1979 to 1983, the level of the lake was only 2 meters higher than the sea.

There are approximately eight species of fish in the lake, as well as other sea animals, such as the manatees or seacows, crocodiles, caymans, turtles, etc. There are also Tilapia and carp. A variety of fish was put in the lake in 1950 by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

In addition to these species, there are thousands of other small animals in the lake. Further, many different kinds of plants occur in the lake=s surroundings. One is "kachiman", which reported by specialists, cannot be found in any other place of the Caribbean. Before the zone began degrading, many different birds occurred. One example is the Pink Flamingo, which is mostly found on the coasts of Florida.

Springs occur throughout the region. According to Ernst Nere (42), a Haitian fisherman fishing in the lake since 1970, there are about 300 springs in the zone. Spring water usually goes directly to the deepest part of the lake. The most important spring is called "Spring Manvil" which looks like a large natural swimming pool. It sits between Lake Azuei and another small lake called "Trou Cayman" (Cayman's Hole), which measures almost 54 acres.

Today, most of these riches are wasting. Fish and other water animals, many species of plants and birds are almost completely extinct. In addition, many springs are drying up due to the degradation of the environment. The authorities of the country have yet to put any kind of programme in place to protect and ameliorate the situation of the lake.

Garbage, all kinds of animal and human waste, and the sediments coming down with rainwater passing through the mountains into the lake, contribute to the uncontrolled abuse of the resources. These are the main causes of the destruction of this marvelous natural environment.

Further, according to people in the area, Dominican soldiers are known to take pleasure in killing crocodiles. Also, the washing of clothes in the springs contributes to the abuse of the lake. Springs are left polluted with soaps and other washing chemicals. Also, excessive noise and other activities of the voodoo ceremonies held near the lake causes birds to flee from the area. Fish which normally stay near the lake shores flee to the deepest parts making it impossible for people to catch them. Voodoo leaders and practitioners light candles in the trunk of some of the last trees. Many mature trees as well as the young ones are destroyed by fire in this way.

The springs are in a terrible condition as people do not take care of them after attending to their needs. By now, most of them are practically dry and the remaining ones are being wasted.

According to Jean Robert Julien who leads an environmental NGO, the water of many springs flows directly into the lake or immediately enters the earth. Water is non-available and the region of Fond Parisian is one of the driest in Haiti.

Near the lake there are 25 springs being wasted. Their positioning prevents the watering of gardens, since they are too low for capping. There are 5 other springs that also cannot be used by the population" stated Mr. Julien.

The people of the zone are not able to exploit the economic resources of the lake as they would wish. Equipment is lacking that can assist fishermen in finding the big fish of the deepest part of the lake. One of the community residents stated that they can only use about a quarter of the lake's resources. He also said that mutual cooperation among the people of the community would be extremely good, as well as the assistance of Haitian authorities.

People promoting the respect for the nation's heritage, peasants and representatives of organizations are entirely of the same opinion: the country cannot continue to lose the advantages of the gifts of nature, nor the economic possibilities that tourism can offer. The people of the region are the first to suffer the consequences of mismanagement of the resources. Presently, many children, pregnant women and old people are dying from various sicknesses. Much sickness is caused by the microbes present in the water that is drunk.

The quantity of usable spring water also decreases through the pressure of salty lake water. Again, there are no protection or control programmes in place.

Mr. Jean Robert Julien stated that initiatives of environmental organizations working together with the communities in the region could halt this waste of resources. "The Haitian government must take a decision to make the zone a true national park. Then all of the lake would be under government control, and the government could protect it, as is done in the Dominican Republic for their Natural Resource Lago Enriquillo". This lake is just a short distance (10 kilometers) from Haiti's Lac Azuei.

Specialists and organizations working with natural resources and the environment state: "We have two choices. One, is that we choose to do nothing - continue like we are because intervention would be too costly and we have no money. Then all the resources and their riches will disappear. The other choice is to use elaborate techniques, that can cost a lot of money, in addition to using a lot of traditional techniques and the people diligently working together, putting action with words in order to save what is left".

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