WATER, WATER… months and years

The oft-repeated outcries from residents of the Bambous Virieux area regarding poor water supply, or even no water at all in their “water” pipes, should be a cause for concern to all of us because water is such an essential commodity for all living things. After all, water is life! It would be therefore undemocratic and selfish on our part were we to turn a blind eye towards the plight of those compatriots of ours who happen to find themselves in such dire straits. This water problem, which is causing so much stress in some quarters, has been going on for several months now (Le Mauricien – Mon- day, 7 March 2022, page 10.)

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Water shortage, albeit in different parts of the country at different times, has been going on for too long, much too long, especially in spite of the fact that rainfall is abundant in our country. In an article entitled “Addressing Our Acute Water Problems” (Forum – Le Mauricien, 25 november 2020), Rai Heeroo wrote: “One of the key promises of the Government when it assumed office in December 2014 was a 24/7 water supply to the population. Despite the com- missioning of the Bagatelle dam, many parts of the country presently receive water for only a few hours per day…. However, the constraint is not lack of water because the amount of potable water lost by the Central Water Authority (CWA) has been, according to utility standards, excessive since many years and has been steadily increasing.”

It is worth mentioning that in 1980 the percentage of Non Revenue water (NRW) in Mauritius was 50% whereas the corresponding figure for Singapore was 10%. In 2020, the percentage NRW in Mauritius was 64% and 4% in Singapore.

Apparently, there are several reasons why the CWA has not been able to cater to the Government’s electoral promise that water would be provided to the whole population on a 24-hour basis every day. It is common knowledge that much water is lost through leakages in pipes, faulty pumps, underground leakage from reservoirs and theft. However, the main reason seems to be poor management coupled with excessive political interference in administrative matters at the CWA.

The end result is that management cannot deliver. Promises made during electoral campaigns are hence never kept and fizzle out as a lot of hot air. Shame on all those who make promises that they cannot honour!

As Rai Heeroo rightly pointed out in his conclusion “A first step towards solving our water sector problems is the reinforcement of CWA’s management by bringing in seasoned water experts. The management team would then be able to correctly identify what hard infrastructure (pipes, pumps, computing systems, service reservoirs, etc) and soft infrastructure (personnel training, work methods, accounting systems, customer care, etc) would be required to redress the CWA.”

More than 50 years after the Independence of our country – as a matter of fact, 54 years this March – it is a pity that, in a land where rainfall is abundant and with so many so-called experts around, whole families are deprived of water for weeks and weeks. On the other hand, it seems there is never any lack of water when this has to do with the numerous golf courses of some rich holiday resorts. And God knows what enormous amounts of water these golf courses need to stay green! No wonder, then, if some people voice out their feelings like Menwar did in 2018 on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the independence of Mauritius (Le Mauricien, Tuesday 27 February 2018, page 10). Menwar had then asked “ki pou selebre?” As a matter of fact, Menwar made his point quite clearly, saying:“Ki ve dir lindependans kan, en 2018, ankor ena dimounn pe dormi deor, vant vid! Kan ena zanfan touzour pa pe al lekol, pa pe gagn manze lakaz? Samem ki nou pou selebre? Fami ki pena manze, pena lakaz?” To all these very pertinent questions one can also add : “Kan ankor ena bann dimounn dan nou pei ki pa gagn dilo, ki zot robine sek!”

Fortunately, there are some true patriots, like social worker Georges Ah Yan, who are doing their level best to help residents of the afflicted areas find a solution to their water problem. However, he pointed out that “Les autorités nous mènent en bateau sans eau….Rien ne bouge, malgré les rencontres et les discussions que nous avons eues pour trouver un accord” (Le Mauricien, Monday 7 March 2022, page 10). We wonder, therefore, whether such a laissez-aller in the water sector is allowed to perpetuate on purpose so that some “lumières…” at the helm of the country can use that as an excuse to aver, with conviction, that the CWA should be privatized for customer care to improve! Time will tell.

In the meantime we hope that the so-called lakwizinn, the sacrosanct kitchen where important decisions are taken, will take good note and maybe look seriously into the matter, especially since water is at stake and the issue has to do with “robinets à sec”. Should lakwizinn make a formal request to the American President Joseph Robinette Biden for advice?

Rafal (Royals & Friends Action Line)

 

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