Blog: Preventing Water Riots!

The Editor-in-Chief of Le Matinal, Kiran Ramsahaye, in his last Friday editorial said that the challenge facing government is not managing political crisis but managing adequate drinking water supply to prevent water riots. In the face of persistent drought, drying underground and overground reservoirs and rivers, I feel neither the authorities nor the population is fully aware of the danger we are in. Nor are we taking steps to address fully the real issues.

We are hoping and praying for rain god to save us. This December and January rains and the cyclonic period extending till April are expected to fill our reservoirs and ensure adequate drinking water supply. But what happens if the rain fails? As it happens in many parts of the world.

Some people had been expecting protests in the streets similar to the Arab Uprising or the Greek protests on account of severe austerity measures to shake the government. Everybody is conscious that the country cannot avoid suffering from the consequences of the world economic and financial crisis, particularly from the Euro Zone debt crisis. The bulk of our tourism come from Europe and the bulk of our exports go to Europe. We are resilient enough to ride through.

With 4% growth, with government decision to maintain the welfare state with free health service, free education, and free transport for the students and the elderly, universal non-contributory old age pension, manageable inflation rate, the situation can be said to be under control. But Kiran Ramsahaye is right. Shortage of drinking water affects all citizens irrespective of their political affiliation or cultural belonging. It can unite the whole population and the danger that they can come down to the streets is real.

Government has already appointed a consultancy firm from Singapore to study our water management and make recommendations. Central Water Authority is already implementing its short and medium term plans to build reservoirs on the Bagatelle and Riviere des Anguilles rivers. Severe water cuts are already in force. Timid awareness campaign to save water is under way. A subsidy scheme to buy water tanks is being implemented. Repair and replacement of water pipes is in progress. It is estimated that 40% of water is lost in the distribution system. This is unacceptable. Government plans to invest 10 billion rupees to remedy the situation. Will all these measures be enough to ensure a 24-hour uninterrupted water supply? We have noticed that there is a cycle of shortage of water due to mainly droughts. But a close look at the water use shows that there are three other sectors which consume more than 75% of fresh water: Agriculture, tourism and textile industries. Proper use of water by these sectors can save enough water to satisfy all our domestic needs.

While travelling in the countryside, all of us are amazed to see the green fields being irrigated through overhead irrigation system, surface irrigation system and drip irrigation. It is proved that there is a direct link between water input and agricultural yield. The question is whether we have paid enough attention to the fact that all plants need a certain quantity of water above which the rest is wasted and lost.

From a BBC program on irrigation, I learned certain very interesting facts and figures. In Texas, the Ogallala Aquifer is the largest underground fresh water lake in the world covering 174,000 sq miles (Mauritius is only 720 sq miles). It provides 90% of fresh water to the state and 20% of all irrigation water required in the US. It is suffering from severe droughts and is drying. Advanced irrigation solutions are being applied to face the water-stressed areas. Moisture censors controlled via satellite are being installed in agricultural fields to provide information to the farmer on the quantity of water being used in his plantation. Agricultural practice is being adapted and hydroponic system is being introduced on a large scale for the production of food crops. The output in hydroponic system is nine times more in the same area and with the same amount of water.

In Mauritius, government has introduced a hydroponic scheme with soft loans and guidance from AREU. Many small planters ventured and failed. They thought that doing agriculture under a shed will do the miracle. Hydroponic agriculture is controlled from germination to transplant to the final harvest. All inputs of fertilizer and water are fully monitored. The big ones in Mauritius have successfully done so with their qualified agronomists. This will allow tremendous savings of fresh water. Rodrigues had the best system of rain water harvesting I know of. I remember every house having a system to harvest and store rain water from the roof. A subsidy system on a large scale should be introduced to allow house-owners to install such a system. Water thus collected, I am told, will be equivalent to the amount of water we have in our reservoirs.

Something should also be done about our inherent bad habit of wasting water and paying for it. The projected 35% increase in water tariff as from next January is a golden opportunity to change our bad habit. Saving water at home and for our domestic use may absorb the 35% increase in the tariff. A vast serious national campaign with a multimedia approach should be undertaken on a war footing to sensitise the population on their need of preserving every drop of water.

The tourism sector is already using desalinated water from the sea for irrigation. Soon we will have to get used to the treated waste water both for irrigation and domestic use as is being done in all major cities of the world.

It is estimated that by 2030 the world will have nine billion people. To feed such a number there should be an increase of 70% of food production.

The surface of the world as that of our country cannot be increased. We have to learn to live with a fresh water-stressed world. Experts believe that we have the technology and the resources to meet the challenge of producing enough food and ensuring fresh water supply. We need the will and passion to do so. Just imagine that from a jungle and malaria-infested place we have made Mauritius a paradise. We just need the leadership and the collaboration of the population to meet the challenge of ensuring a 24-hour fresh water supply, making the nightmare of water riots impossible to happen.