Title: Residents of Mayotte Struggle to Find Bottled Water After Cyclone Impact – January 24, 2025

In Mayotte, a severe water crisis persists following Cyclone Chido, with residents struggling to find bottled water due to high demand and ongoing shortages. Many distrust tap water quality, exacerbated by frequent outages. Local supermarkets face overwhelming demand, leading to rapid sellouts of water supplies. Distributions coordinated by authorities are insufficient, particularly affecting vulnerable populations. As residents rely on word-of-mouth to locate available bottles, frustration grows over inflated prices and limited access to this essential resource.

The Water Crisis in Mayotte: A Struggle for Essentials

At 64 years old, Sandi Blanao found himself navigating through three different stores before finally securing bottled water at a supermarket in Mamoudzou. “To get some, you have to be strong,” he quietly remarks as he places the maximum allowed quantity of two packs into his shopping cart.

Just hours after the arrival of five pallets of bottled water in the central aisle, they are already sold out, leaving numerous customers disheartened. As a new shipment is announced, a wave of shoppers rushes to the scene.

More than five weeks have passed since Cyclone Chido devastated Mayotte, yet the shelves of drinking water in this French territory of the Indian Ocean remain perilously low.

Understanding the Shortage: Factors at Play

An anonymous distributor reassures AFP that there is no actual supply issue. Instead, a blend of factors has led to this predicament: an increased demand spurred by ongoing water shortages affecting many residents, a pervasive distrust of tap water among the Mahorais, and the lengthy wait time for new orders to arrive.

In the meantime, residents of Mayotte have resorted to creative solutions, primarily relying on word-of-mouth to locate available bottled water. “As soon as there is some, we take it,” expresses Antoy Bacar, 45, while browsing the aisles of the Sodifram supermarket in Hauts-Vallons, where a few bottles can still be found.

Ramzi Boukhris, the supermarket director, admits that post-cyclone demand has made it challenging to satisfy customers. With reports of sales tripling despite receiving four to six pallets of water each day, he notes that the usual three-month wait for orders to reach the port of Longoni has made it clear that current supplies are insufficient. He anticipates that it will take another month for adjusted orders to alleviate the crisis.

Moreover, this scramble for bottled water stems from a deep-rooted skepticism regarding tap water quality. Frequent outages cause water to sit stagnant in pipes, fostering bacterial growth. The SMAE – Mahoraise des Eaux, responsible for water distribution, often advises residents to boil tap water before consumption.

To combat the crisis, the prefecture, along with civil security and local authorities, is coordinating bottled water distributions. However, these efforts are struggling to meet the overwhelming need.

In Chirongui, a southern village, the Community Social Action Center (CCAS) has had to limit water access for its most vulnerable citizens, including the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with disabilities. The municipality, which is home to 8,000 residents across several villages, has seen daily water pack distributions plummet from over 300 to fewer than 70 in just two weeks. “This is becoming insufficient,” laments CCAS director Asmine Insa.

The prefecture claimed in mid-January to have distributed over two million liters of water since the cyclone, but they did not respond to AFP’s inquiries. Other municipalities are reportedly facing similar challenges.

Those cut off from distributions worry about their situation. “If there is none in the store, everyone is vulnerable,” says Kassime Madi, a resident of Chirongui. His local grocery store is completely void of water, and at the neighboring supermarket in Malamani, only a handful of small bottles are available. “You have to be lucky and arrive at the right moment,” he adds, sharing his frustration about having to purchase packs for 10 euros at some shops, despite the government’s price freeze.

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