There is no doubt: the country needed a good watering. The reservoirs should now be able to supply the whole country for quite some time. The 200 mm of rain that Mauritius has received has certainly had a positive impact on the reservoirs and cultivated lands. Sugar cane for instance has benefited from the ?bad? weather. Now, there should be quite a long period of sunshine to guarantee a high sugar content.

Besides the good news, a large proportion of the population has suffered from the negative consequences of these downpours. The state of affairs after the rainy weekend is not so good: 350 flooded houses, damaged roads ? especially in the West ? spoiled food crops, disappointed tourists? All this doesn?t portend anything good for the near future. The prices of some vegetables will skyrocket while others will simply not be available.

The firemen had a lot on their plates during the last few days with more than 1,000 calls to flooded houses and roads. They believe all these problems were caused by blocked sewage systems.

Now that there seems to be a lull, the authorities intend to take appropriate steps to prevent any recurrences. The Task Force chaired by Suresh Seeballuck is waiting for a comprehensive report from the National Development Unit, the Road Development Unit, the ministries of Environment and Agriculture to have an idea of the real impact of the rain on the different sectors affected.

Measures to modernise the filtering systems also appear to be a top priority. Water from rain has brought mud and waste, which have blocked the sand filters. But such work needs a Rs 250 million investment.

However, the Central Water Authority asserts that the problem will be solved at La Flora in about four months but the capital will have to wait five more years.

Of course, this could well lead to several epidemics, the most probable being gastro-enteritis. The public seems to have taken the initiative already. Supermarkets have noticed a rise in the purchase of bottled water. Hospitals are already full of people suffering from fever and respiratory problems. Let?s hope the good weather will curb this trend?