Haiti bans construction using quarry sand

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti's government is banning a commonly used sand from structural construction in an attempt to improve building safety.

The public works ministry issued a notice Sunday warning that the use of "La Boule"-type white quarry sand to make concrete for structural elements would be punishable under Haiti's penal code and recommends using river sand.

It is not clear how the edict will be enforced.

Poor construction is blamed for the collapse of many buildings in the Jan. 12 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people.

The mountains around Port-au-Prince are scarred with the white caverns left by extraction of the loose white sand. Bricks made with the poorly mixed cement are brittle and break off at the touch.