Water crisis: why the CWA loses 60% of its water, and what is being done
Protests over dry taps turned violent in Camp-Levieux this week. The Central Water Authority loses about 60% of the water it treats, its deficit more than doubled last year, and reform plans have been shelved for a decade. The figures, and the Rs 15,000 water-tank grant that opens on Monday.
Photo: Z thomas, CC BY-SA 4.0
In short
About 60% of the water the Central Water Authority (CWA) treats is lost before it is billed: leaks in old pipes and reservoirs, faulty or tampered meters and illegal connections, according to its former deputy general manager.
The CWA's deficit rose from Rs 324.7 million to Rs 754.8 million between June 2024 and June 2025 (its 2024-25 annual report), and Rs 700 million spent replacing pipes did not visibly cut losses.
Plans to bring in a strategic partner to run the network were studied from 2015, with the World Bank's IFC from 2017, then abandoned in 2020. A source close to the Prime Minister's Office says privatisation is ruled out and tariffs will not rise.
Water-tank grant: households without tanks can apply for a Rs 15,000 grant (two tanks of 1,000 and 500 litres and a pump) at any CWA office from Monday 12 October, 9:00-15:00, with an ID card and a CWA bill.
Where the water goes
Hermann Joseph, CWA deputy general manager for administration from 2004 to 2018 and later its chief financial officer, told Defimedia that the 60% loss figure mixes several problems the CWA cannot measure separately: physical leaks in ageing reservoirs and buried mains (some under cane fields, where they show no sign), more than 200,000 meters many of which are broken or easy to tamper with, illegal tapping, and pipes and fittings that do not suit local soils.
Without large meters at reservoir outlets and real-time monitoring, he says, faults are found only when customers complain, and emergency plans follow each shortage rather than prevent it.
Money spent, reforms shelved
The CWA's own accounts show a deficit of Rs 754.78 million at 30 June 2025, up from Rs 324.71 million a year earlier. About Rs 700 million has gone into replacing pipes without a visible fall in losses.
Successive governments studied a partnership with a private operator: a 15-year lease contract studied from 2015, structured with the International Finance Corporation from July 2017, then declared abandoned in 2020. A source close to the Prime Minister's Office now says the government does not want privatisation or higher tariffs; Mr Joseph argues a 5-10 year strategic partner is still needed to fix the network.
What you can do now
From Monday 12 October, households that do not yet have water tanks can register for the Water Tank and Water Pump Grant Scheme, extended by the Cabinet: Rs 15,000 for two tanks (1,000 and 500 litres) and a pump. Register at the CWA head office in Saint-Paul or any CWA office, 9:00-15:00, with your national identity card and a CWA bill. Names A to M register Monday to Wednesday, N to Z on Thursday and Friday.