New tools to bring drinking water closer to the inhabitants. The prefect Gilles Cantal, responsible for managing the water crisis in Mayotte, announced on Monday the arrival in this overseas department of several small devices to produce drinking water, in addition to reverse osmosis (a water filtration system) announced by the government.
For months, drinking water has been distributed dropwise to the 300,000 inhabitants of the French department. And since this Monday, the inhabitants of Mayotte only have access to running water one day in three, after the authorities have announced cuts for 48 hours every 24 hours.
The island is suffering from a severe drought and its infrastructure, capable of producing a maximum of 38,000 m³ of water, can no longer meet the needs of its population, which is around 40,000 m³ per day.
A policy of “undignified” restrictions, according to Marine Le Pen
The restrictions imposed have made some politicians, such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon, jump. “In Mayotte now, for everyone, the water in the tap and in the shower is only 1 day out of 3. Help!” The former LFI presidential candidate wrote on X (ex Twitter) on Monday.
“It is undignified to continue neglecting Mayotte, which must face new restrictions on access to running water,” accuses Marine Le Pen, head of the RN deputies.
“Continues Until November”
“A series of emergency works are being carried out, financed and committed, in order to improve resources between now and the end of the year,” said Gilles Cantal, prefect in charge of the “water” mission “with the prefect of Mayotte since June , during a press conference on Monday “We have to wait until November,” he announced.
Gilles Cantal evokes the arrival of “small osmosis units”, capable of producing 60 to 70 m³ of water per day thanks to the desalination of seawater “during the most sensitive period, between October and November”. However, the state services do not specify the number of devices to be transported.
In April, devices of this type arrived in Mayotte without being able to be exploited, “due to a lack of authorization”, underlined Gilles Cantal.
Great works in progress and to come
Between October and November, a high-capacity osmosis unit to treat seawater will be installed on a western beach, for which the Overseas Minister, Philippe Vigier, announced an investment of 8 million euros, which should produce 1,000 m³ per day. and be operational by the end of the year.
Works on the pipes are also planned to improve the distribution of water to the south. As well as a connection between the two main islands of Mayotte, Petite Terre and Grande Terre, to distribute the water from the desalination plant, currently under construction, to improve its production capacities.
Drilling work is also underway to identify new sources and look for leaks in the network. Today, the losses reach a third of the production, according to Gilles Cantal.
In the longer term, it announced the start of construction of a second desalination plant, in Ironi Bé, south of Mamoudzou. The project for a third reservoir on the hill (artificial water reserve), discussed for many years, is still in force. “Land negotiations are ongoing,” he added.
The ARS has announced that it will double its controls, strengthen its health surveillance systems and launch a preventive vaccination campaign against typhoid fever, while monitoring possible cases of hepatitis A, poliomyelitis and cholera.
Source: BFM TV
