The dry season is coming to an end, Mayotte will not have experienced an acute water crisis this year similar to that of 2023. But the approximately 320,000 inhabitants of the French department located on the Mozambique Channel have not overcome the water shortage. . The tap does not come out one day in three and the cuts have been extended since Monday, going from twenty-six hours to thirty hours every two days. Alerts on “technical failures due to insufficient water levels in the reservoirs” They are almost daily. The situation will last until mid-2026. On this date, the joint union Les Eaux de Mayotte (LEMA) expects the second seawater desalination plant on the island to come into operation.
Seen as the solution “more effective” Given the urgency of the needs, this infrastructure nevertheless provokes strong criticism from several local environmental associations who warn of brine spills into the lagoon and damage to the mangroves, while denouncing the schedule of a project carried out in a forced manner. .
On October 4, the joint association that owns the project sent a request for environmental authorization to the prefecture of Mayotte, before the launch of the project. The contracts for the construction and operation of the factory were notified at the end of August to two groups of companies. This project was announced in the midst of the water crisis, in November 2023, by Philippe Vigier, then Minister Delegate for the Overseas Territories, within the framework of a three-year plan aimed at compensating for essential investments on the island.
Located on the east coast of the island, in Ironi Be, this factory, with a cost of 94 million euros, must produce more than 10,000 cubic meters of drinking water per day. Enough to cover the deficit that persists for years. The current facilities barely produce 39,500 cubic meters per day, when the island’s consumption is estimated at 45,000 cubic meters, an increase of 5% annually. “This work, which will increase the productive capacity of the island by 25%, is absolutely necessary to sustainably exit the territory of the water crisis”says Ibrahim Aboubacar, CEO of Mayotte Water Services. Before wanting to reassure: “We are aware of the impacts and are working to offset them. »
A “high risk project”
Michel Charpentier, a long-time environmental activist on the island, chooses his words to talk about an ultra-sensitive topic. The president of the Naturalists of Mayotte says he is aware of the problems they face “Imperative water needs” and the risk of reliving an acute crisis. But it is impossible for him to remain silent. “doubts” In front of this factory, a “high risk project”. Very divided, the associations finally decided not to file an appeal against the civil emergency procedure that exempted the project from the environmental evaluation procedure. “We are careful not to want to appear like the environmentalists who want to torpedo this project.Mr. Charpentier specifies. But we think it’s off to a bad start. We tell the State: assume your responsibilities. »
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