The director of DINEPA, engineer Théophile Ostinvil, when interviewed by Le Nouvelliste about a study revealing high levels of lead in the blood of residents in downtown Port-au-Prince, assured that DINEPA’s subscribers receive water with normal levels of this heavy metal. He also pointed out that the vast majority of residents in the metropolitan area obtain water from sources not monitored by his agency. “Eighty percent of the population of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area get their water from sources that are not under the direct control of DINEPA,” said engineer Ostinvil.

“DINEPA has taken note of the information reporting traces of lead found in the blood of patients living in the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Region (RMPP). However, since water consumption can be a potential source—among others—of heavy metal ingestion, DINEPA wishes to clarify that, within the framework of the public drinking water distribution service, samples collected and analyzed by our laboratory do not show concentrations exceeding the limits accepted and/or recommended by the PAHO/WHO standards, which are 10 micrograms per liter (µg/L) for lead (Pb),” stated the Director General of DINEPA in response to Le Nouvelliste.