Lake Azuei, Haiti's largest lake, is located in southeastern Haiti. The salt-water lake has an area of around square 170 km. The lake supports over 100 species of waterfowl, flamingos and American crocodiles, one of the few lakes of its type in the world to harbor such fauna. The lake's water is an intense shade of blue. Étang Saumâtre (also known as Lake Azuei), Haiti's largest lake, is located at 18.5975°N 72.0147222°W in southeastern Haiti, bordering the Dominican Republic. The salt-water lake has an area of around 170 km² (65 square miles) and is 29 km (18 miles) east of Port-au-Prince on the fertile Plaine du Cul-de-Sac. Some 29 km (18 miles) long and up to 9.7km (6 miles) wide, the lake supports over 100 species of waterfowl, flamingos and American crocodiles, one of the few lakes of its type in the world to harbor such fauna. The colour of the lake is an intense shade of blue and this picturesque lake is skirted by brush and cacti. The lake itself is part of a chain of nearby saline lakes that lie in the Hispaniolan rift valley, (known as the Cul-de-Sac Depression in Haiti and the Hoya de Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic). Because the region was a former marine strait, several areas of the rift valley are below sea level. An interesting Miami Herald article circulated last week concerning Lake Azuei, the largest in the country and a source of livelihoods for many. The lake’s waters have been rising for two years as a result of clogged drainage canals and deforested mountains that are no longer capable of absorbing rainfall. If Haitian authorities do not demonstrate leadership in addressing the country’s environmental challenges, of which this is one, the end result will be yet more disrupted lives, livelihoods, and communities. From Gonaives to Lake Azuei to the slums of Port au Prince full of Haitians from the countryside who have given up on agriculture, the need for better environmental management is clear
Despite some cloud cover, numerous bodies of water are visible, including the bright green Oviedo Lagoon at the tip of the peninsula and Rincon Lagoon to its north.
The large dark green lake east of Rincon Lagoon is Lake Enriquillo, one of only a few saltwater lakes in the world inhabited by crocodiles. It is located in the Hispaniolan rift valley (known as the Cul-de-Sac Depression in Haiti and the Hoya de Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic), that extends 79 miles (127 km) from Port-au-Prince Bay in Haiti in the west to near Neiba Bay in the Dominican Republic in the east. Further east, near the border, is Étang Saumâtre (also known as Lake Azuei), Haiti’s largest lake, located in the southeastern region of the country. The colour of the lake is an intense shade of blue. This salt-water lake has an area of around 170 km² (65 square miles). Some 29 km (18 miles) long and up to 9.7km (6 miles) wide, the lake supports over 100 species of waterfowl, flamingos and American crocodiles, one of the few lakes of its type in the world to harbor such fauna.
MALPASSE, Haiti -- The owners of an $18-a-night motel with a dancing floor closed up shop. Fishermen converted their boats into water taxis. Roadside food vendors abandoned coveted spots. For these workers whose livelihoods depend on Haiti's busiest and most profitable commercial corridor on the border with the Dominican Republic, it wasn't just bad enough that three weeks of deadly summer storms forced them to pack their goods and flee. Lake Azuei, Haiti's largest lake and a habitat for rare birds and marine life, busted its banks, flooding several towns. "Before the storms, few people passed but business was good enough, " Viliane Garriès, 40, said as she stirred a steaming pot of chicken bouillon near a customs building. "Now even fewer people pass, and business is so slow." Problems caused by over-spilling lakes continue to plague Haiti months after deadly storms over the summer. In the South, the Miragoane Lake remains flooded, disrupting lives and commerce. In Malpasse, government workers successfully cut a temporary road through a nearby mountain two weeks ago and raised the road with gravel to stop flooding from the Azuei.
