Water: La Marie supply could double from Sunday, and the tank grant draws over 36,000 applications
The Minister says the flow from Mare-Longue to La Marie could double from Sunday, and La Marie is back to 74,000 m³ a day. Meanwhile the Rs 15,000 tank-and-pump grant has drawn more than 36,000 applications, and two beneficiaries say they were asked for an extra Rs 5,000.
Photo: Z thomas, CC BY-SA 4.0
In short
More water for the Plaines-Wilhems: Public Utilities Minister Patrick Assirvaden said on Thursday 29 October that the volume sent from Mare-Longue to La Marie could double from Sunday, from about 15,000 to nearly 30,000 m³ a day, according to Defimedia.
La Marie is recovering: output is back to 74,000 m³ a day, up from 46,000 at the worst point but still below the 110,000 produced before. The aim is to reach 85,000, possibly 100,000.
How: about 70 electricity poles are being installed by the CEB so the pumps can run 24 hours a day, and about 12 million litres came from boreholes over three days. A project to bring water from Tamarin Falls to La Marie is also planned, with no date given.
Tank grant: the CWA's Sunil Gopal says the Rs 15,000 Water Tank and Water Pump Grant Scheme gets 300 to 500 applications a day: more than 36,000 in total, and more than 3,000 vouchers issued by the Development Bank of Mauritius (DBM) since 12 October.
Extra charge: two beneficiaries told Defimedia a supplier asked them for Rs 5,000 more to hand over their equipment. The DBM chief executive says no supplement may be charged, and that six suppliers are bound by agreements.
More water for La Marie
Speaking during a visit to Mare-Longue on Thursday morning, Mr Assirvaden said the volume conveyed from Mare-Longue to La Marie could double as early as Sunday, from about 15,000 to nearly 30,000 cubic metres a day. The doubling is presented as expected, not certain.
To get there, the Central Electricity Board is installing about 70 poles so the pumps can run around the clock, an operation brought forward because of the water crisis. New boreholes are also coming into service, and about 12 million litres were drawn from boreholes over the previous three days. Defimedia reports that Vacoas, Curepipe, Alma and the Plaines-Wilhems region should see better distribution as a result.
The La Marie treatment plant is producing 74,000 m³ a day, up from 46,000 at its lowest and below the 110,000 it produced before. The Minister's targets are 85,000 m³ and possibly 100,000. Until the rains return, he asked the public to save water.
The tank grant: demand is high
The Water Tank and Water Pump Grant Scheme, run by the DBM, gives Rs 15,000 towards two tanks (500 and 1,000 litres), a pump and their installation. Sunil Gopal, communications director of the Central Water Authority, told Defimedia it receives 300 to 500 applications a day, with more than 36,000 in total and more than 3,000 DBM vouchers issued since 12 October.
On those rounded figures, roughly one application in twelve had reached the voucher stage. Defimedia's article does not say how many tanks have been installed, and does not explain the gap. Mr Gopal said CWA and CEB meter readers are working together on the ground to speed up processing.
The Rs 5,000 complaint
Two beneficiaries told Defimedia that when they went to a supplier to collect their equipment, they were asked for an extra Rs 5,000. The article does not name the supplier, nor say whether the money was for the equipment, the installation or both, and it does not say whether it was refunded.
DBM chief executive Hemraj Rubee said no supplement should be charged to beneficiaries, for equipment or installation, and that six suppliers have signed agreements with the DBM and must respect them. These are the account of two beneficiaries, and the supplier has not been heard in the article.