It is as if the Haitian quake was yesterday

Nearly nine months after the earthquake, more than a million Haitians still live on the streets between piles of rubble. One reason: not a cent of the $1.15-billion the US promised for rebuilding has arrived.

The money was pledged by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in March for use this year. The US has already spent more than $1.1-billion on post-quake relief but, without long-term funds, reconstruction of the capital, Port-au-Prince, cannot begin.

The money is still tied up in Washington. At fault: bureaucracy, disorganisation and a lack of urgency. One senator has held up a key authorisation bill because of a $5-million provision he says will be wasteful.

Meanwhile, deaths in Port-au-Prince are mounting as quake survivors scramble to live without shelter or food.

"There are truly lives at stake, and the idea that people are spending more time finger-pointing than getting this solved is unbelievable," said John Simon, a former US ambassador to the African Union who is now with the Centre for Global Development, a Washington think-tank.

Neither is Haiti getting much from other donors. About 50 nations and organisations pledged a total of $8.75-billion for reconstruction but only $686-million of that has reached Haiti - less than 15% of the total promised for 2010-2011.

The lack of funds has all but halted work by CHF International, the primary US-funded group assigned to remove rubble and build temporary shelters.

Only 2% of the rubble has been cleared and 13000 temporary shelters have been built - less than 10% of the number planned.

The agency is asking the US government for $16.5-million to remove additional rubble and build 4000 more temporary houses of wood and metal.

"It's just a matter of one phone call and the trucks are out again," said CHF country director Alberto Wilde. "We have contractors ready to continue removing rubble . we have local and international suppliers ready to ship the wood and construction materials we need. It's just a matter of money."

The inaction has had tragic results. On Friday, a storm destroyed an estimated 8000 tarpaulins, tents and shacks in the capital and killed at least six people, including two children. Violence looms as landowners threaten entire camps with eviction.

In Washington, there is confusion about the money. In July, Ravij Shah, director of the US Agency for International Development, thanked members of Congress for approving the funds, saying: "The resources are flowing and are being spent in country." It wasn't true then and still hasn't happened.

On March 24, US President Barack Obama asked Congress for $2.8-billion in emergency aid to Haiti - about half to pay back money already spent by USAid, the Defence Department and others. About $212-million was to write off debt.

The heart of the request was $1.15-billion in new reconstruction funds.

A week later, Clinton touted that figure to representatives of 50 nations at the UN secretariat, with the president of Haiti, Rene Preval, at her side.

That was nearly six months ago.

It took until May for the Senate to pass a supplemental request for the Haiti funds and until July for the House to do the same. The votes made $917-million available but did not specify how or when to spend it. Without that final step, the money remains in the US Treasury. Then came the summer recess, emergencies in Pakistan and elsewhere, and the distractions of election politics.

Now, the authorisation bill that would direct how the aid is delivered remains sidelined by a senator who stalled it because it proposes appointing an "unnecessary" senior Haiti co-ordinator though the US already has one.

State Department spokesman Charles Luoma-Overstreet said the department expected to start spending in the coming weeks and months. About $275-million in "bridge" funds was released in March and had gone towards paying for agriculture, work, health and shelter programme - not long-term reconstruction.

Haitian advocates say that is not enough.

Jean-Claude Bajeux, of the Ecumenical Centre for Human Rights, in Port-au-Prince, said this phase was supposed to be about building semi-permanent houses.

"Where are they? We haven't seen them," he said. "There is not much money that is being used."

Of course, there is no guarantee that the money would lead to the successful rebuilding of Haiti. Many past US aid efforts have fallen short.

"I don't think [the money] will make any difference," said Haitian human rights advocate Pierre Esperance. "Haitian people are not really involved in this process."

But officials agree that the funds could pay for new approaches to make Haiti more sustainable, and that rebuilding projects could improve millions of lives.

On the streets of Haiti, many people simply feel abandoned.

Mishna Gregoire, 22, said she was happy when she heard about the donors' conference. But six months later she is still in a tarpaulin city with 5000 other people.

"Nothing has been done and I don't think anything will be done," she said. - Sapa-AP