Water is due to become an increasingly rare commodity. The Central Water Authority (CWA) has warned that Mauritius will be faced with major problems in water supply if there were no heavy rains. Facts are proving them right. The few raindrops of the end of the year have not been enough to fill the almost empty reservoirs and water tables. Drastic measures may be taken by the CWA in the coming days if heavy rains continue to be scarce ? particularly near reservoirs and undrground water tables.

Every day, Mauritius loses some 200 million litres of water because of leaks of the CWA networks. This is why such periods where rains are scarce make it very difficult for the institution to supply all consumers properly. Saving water is becoming urgent.

The CWA will employ, in the coming days, an expert, Avenish Ulrich, whose main job will be to reduce the leaks of the national level by 45%. He will be given three years to achieve his goal. However, the CWA can?t afford to wait until the end of his contract to deal with the lack of water.

This is why immediate decisions must be taken ? just like in 1998/99 when a drastic plan had been set up to face a similar situation. CWA employees are working on the best way to reduce water supply. Up to now the best solution appears to be the water once a day during six hours ? in the morning or in the evening ? instead of the present 12 hours twice a day.

Although this is not a final decision, there is at least a certainty: if there are no heavy rains in a near future, consumers will definitely be affected in a way or another. For the moment, water is available between 3 am and 9 am. Then, it becomes available again between 3 pm and 9 pm?

The precarious situation is a serious cause of concern for the CWA. The level of water in the reservoirs, which supply about 35% of water for the whole country, is extremely low compared to the same period last year. Even though the recent rains have been quite beneficial for them, the situation is still very serious. To mention only a few, Mare-aux-Vacoas is at 45 % while it was at 79.4 % in January last year; La Nicolière is at 50.2 % compared to 83.7 % in January 2007. La Ferme is only 15 % full.

Reduce leaks on the network

As for water tables, the situation is far from being more reassuring. One of the most important tables of the country ? from Hollyrood to Vacoas that supplies part of Plaines-Wilhems and the western region ? produces only 5,000 cubic metres of water every day while its normal average is of 18,000 cubic meters.

The director of the meteorological centre, Sok Appadoo, however considers that we ?are not in a period of dryness?. The main problem does not appear to be that rains are not enough. The real problem appears to be on the network itself. As it can?t hold water, rains must fall near water tables and reservoirs for them to be useful.

But the real solution might actually come from the foreign expert who will strive to reduce the leaks during the next three years. Every year, Mauritius actually faces the same problem of water scarcity for the simple reason that the network is in such a bad state that it can?t withhold the necessary water. We can only hope that, when the expert?s contract comes to an end, the 1,400 meters of rains forecasted by the meteorological centre for this summer will be enough to supply all consumers equally and properly.