In a regulatory action aimed at curbing unregulated resource extraction and protecting at-risk local populations, Haiti’s Ministry of the Environment (MdE) has ordered an immediate, indefinite suspension of all sand quarrying operations across three communities in the municipality of Pétion-ville: Pèlerin, Laboule, and Boutillier. The decision comes on the heels of mounting resident complaints and multi-agency field assessments that confirmed alarming degradation of the region’s already fragile environmental and geological landscape. Technical teams from the West Departmental Directorate, the Directorate of Environmental Inspection and Monitoring (DISE), and the National Bureau of Environmental Assessment (BNEE) collaborated to inspect the sites, documenting a suite of severe hazards tied to the unlicensed, illegal quarry operations. These risks include destabilized hillside slopes, accelerated soil erosion, and elevated threats of catastrophic landslides and rockfalls that pose direct, life-threatening dangers to local residents and critical nearby infrastructure. The Ministry emphasized that regulatory restrictions on quarrying in these geologically vulnerable zones have been in place for decades, with formal prohibitions first enacted and renewed in 2012, 2016, 2021, and 2025. All existing restrictions remain fully enforceable and legally binding, the agency confirmed. The MdE also clarified the legal framework governing extractive activities in the country, noting that Article 36.5 of Haiti’s amended 1987 Constitution explicitly designates all mines and quarries as part of the state’s public domain, meaning they cannot be claimed as private property. Additionally, all quarry operations are required to adhere to strict national environmental protection standards laid out in Article 253 of the Constitution and Article 64.8 of the 2006 Framework Decree on Environmental Management and Citizen Conduct. Citing its statutory mandate to safeguard Haiti’s natural environment and enforce existing environmental legislation, the Ministry finalized the suspension order, halting all sand extraction activities in the three affected communities until further official notice.
Suspension of sand quarrying activities in Pèlerin, Laboule and Boutillier (video)
