In Mayotte, in the 101st French department, the inhabitants are thirsty. Faced with a major water shortage, the Minister Delegate in charge of Overseas Territories, Philippe Vigier, announced on his arrival on the Indian Ocean island this Saturday morning a series of emergency measures, in particular the implementation place of distribution of bottled water to the most vulnerable, indicated to 20 minutes the Ministry.
Faced with the shortage, the authorities have gradually tightened the screw in recent weeks, announcing in particular that from this Monday, the inhabitants of the island will only have access to drinking water one day out of three. Describing his measures as the “Marshall plan” for water in Mayotte, Philippe Vigier announced the launch of a “distribution of bottled water to vulnerable people at the rate of 2 liters per day and per beneficiary”. According to the office of the minister delegate, 30,000 beneficiaries have already been identified by the ARS.
The Minister Delegate also announced that the State would take charge of the purchase and installation of “osmosers”, a device for producing drinking water through the desalination of seawater.
Cisterns without “health risk” and additional water ramps
In addition, the government will distribute in the coming days throughout the island fifteen cisterns, supplied with the help of a “water treatment station”, guaranteeing “zero health risk”, for a budget of 2.5 million euros, according to information from AFP.
Also, “200 water ramps will be deployed on the territory”, indicated Philippe Vigier on the spot. The minister’s office adds to 20 minutes that they will not be open continuously, at the request of local elected officials.
#MayotteASoif
“That’s the emergency,” said the minister. Faced with the poor quality of running water, the State services will also double their hydrological analyses. “The results will be systematically communicated in each town hall at the request of the minister”, adds the ministry.
The minister’s office has also indicated that aid for companies in difficulty due to water rationing will be introduced. The amounts and precise conditions of eligibility will be communicated in the coming days.
For the record, Mayotte is currently experiencing its worst drought since 1997. For several months, water has been distributed drop by drop to the island’s 300,000 inhabitants. In recent weeks, the state had already put in place measures, such as freezing the price of bottled water. In vain, the Mahorais still and still suffer hard from this water shortage and make it known on Twitter under the hashtag MayotteASoif.