At the start of the 21st century, major environmental disorders, announced over the past decades have actually happened. As a small island state, Mauritius is more vulnerable to the impact of the catastrophes we have been witnessing all over the world: extremes of cold and heat, sea-level rise, hole in the ozone layer, oil spills, tidal waves, floods, droughts, earthquakes, unpredictable cyclones and general pollution.

The last thirty years have seen consequent changes in our standard of living. We have rapidly moved from an agricultural economy to an industrial one. The major developments in the country's infrastructure with new roads, massive building of factories, hotels and housing units have put a lot of pressure on our resources and promulgated urgent reconsideration of our environmental issues. Mauritius is far from being immune to ecological disasters, both natural and man-made.

?To provide a better environment and quality of life for present and future generations? depicts the Ministry of Environment's vision in ensuring the sustainability of our environment and the major issues pertaining to the raison-d'être of such State policies. The government is committed to achieving the objectives of sustainable development prescribed in Agenda 21, the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Develop-ment of Small Island Develo-ping States. In that context, it has reviewed the main pollution problems and is proposing remedial solutions.

Because of the size of the country, our high level of development makes our environment even more vulnerable to pollution (air, water and land). To pollute is to make something dirty or no longer pure, especially by adding harmful or unpleasant substances to it. We shall deal in this first part deal mostly with air pollution.

Air pollution results from the burning of fossil fuels, domestic and industrial waste, as well as vehicular emissions. It affects us by depleting the ozone layer, leading to sometimes fatal skin and respiratory diseases and global warming. For example, the past weeks have seen higher than normal temperatures. They have particularly affected vulnerable people, like asthma sufferers, toddlers developing skin rashes and elderly people suffering from cardiac problems.

To fight air pollution, various measures like strict laws and inspection of vehicles have been taken. A mass awareness campaign was launched on 31st May 2002 for the National Environment Stewardship Year. The Ministry is committed to improving air quality through various projects. The introduction of unleaded petrol in September 2002 to reduce noxious gas emissions is an important measure. Another is the incentive to convert petrol driven vehicles to use LPG through a soft DBM loan.

We cannot close our eyes to the key concerns threatening our ecosystem and the attempts made to develop environmental awareness. Every citizen must be made aware of the importance of striving to care for the natural environment and make Mauritius a cleaner and greener island for ourselves and the future generations.

For more info and resources: go to http://environment.gov.mu

M.C. Lassémillante