The Overseas Minister, Philippe Vigier, announced this Saturday, during a visit to Mayotte, the Government’s plan of attack to avoid a health crisis in the archipelago where water is severely rationed, announcing distributions of water bottles and support for companies .
The new minister assured that yesterday (Friday) in Paris “important decisions were taken, at the highest level, by the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, in collaboration with Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and also of overseas, so that we can have a real Marshall plan for Mayotte.”
During the day, the Minister made a round trip to the Indian Ocean archipelago from Réunion, where he had just spent three days, to demonstrate that the Government has taken the measure that “the situation in which Maoris and Maoris live in of water was unacceptable.”
Drink water only every three days.
Mayotte suffers its worst drought since 1997, while its supply depends mainly on rainwater. For several months now, water has been distributed drop by drop among the inhabitants, that is to say 300,000 people, according to INSEE, not counting undocumented immigrants.
And to save the remaining resources before the next rainy season, which will not arrive before November, the authorities tightened the screw further starting Monday by allowing access to drinking water only one day in three.
“All vulnerable people, especially pregnant women and children, will benefit from a daily distribution of water, two liters per person. There are already 30,000 people identified,” said Philippe Vigier, later adding that people with disabilities and long-term Chronic diseases would also benefit from free distribution.
Fifteen tanks deployed in “emergency”
In the coming days, fifteen tanks will be distributed throughout the territory and will be filled thanks to a “water treatment station” so that there is “zero risk to health”, with a budget of 2.5 million euros, the minister said. “In addition, 200 water ramps will be installed on the territory,” added Philippe Vigier.
As for companies, they will benefit from aid to offset their fixed costs, applied by the Mayotte public finance department, his cabinet said.
“It is urgent”, explained the Minister, before recalling the work in progress, “there is a lot of work to be done on the leaks, on the interconnection” between the north and the south of Mayotte, less rich in water, before the end of October to increase the resource in the medium term.
The distribution of bottles of water is “a good thing”, assured the deputy (LR) Mansour Kamardine, asking however that “everyone who is in the RSA (revenu de solidarité active) can have access to this distribution”. The deputy regrets, however, that “the crisis was necessary for us to have investments” in Mahoran’s water infrastructure.
Source: BFM TV
