Good news for the 101st French department. The distribution of bottled water to the entire population of Mayotte began on Monday to help the inhabitants of the archipelago cope with an exceptional drought. After reserving it for the most vulnerable, the authorities announced the expansion of the supply of bottled water to the entire population of the island from Monday, November 20.
Some 330,000 liters of water will be distributed each day, indicated the Minister Delegate for Overseas Territories, Philippe Vigier, during a trip to the Indian Ocean archipelago at the beginning of November. In the west of the main island, on this Monday morning, around thirty people are waiting to register with agents at the Chiconi municipal social action center (CCAS) and obtain their free packs.
Each municipality has at least one distribution point
“It’s help that you can’t miss,” says Amina Abdallah, present in the queue in a town square, facing the bay. “We can no longer drink tap water: we had diarrhea, vomiting… For several weeks already, we had to buy bottled water, at around 8 euros per pack. But it weighs heavily financially,” regrets this woman who returned to Mayotte in September to take care of her mother, after spending seventeen years in Brittany.
After an hour and a half of patience, the mother of three finally collected five packs for her household. One per person, for one week. In total, Mayotte welcomed 150 firefighters and Civil Security soldiers to ensure distribution to the entire population. Each municipality has at least one distribution point. In Grand-Mamoudzou, residents can go to seven sites, depending on the sector.
For Melissa Dumand, however, these distributions arrive “a little late”. “There have already been serious doubts about the drinkability of tap water for weeks or even months. For families, it is very burdensome. Water packs are expensive and they are not always available in stores,” says this resident of the area.