Since Monday, the inhabitants of Mayotte, the French archipelago in the Indian Ocean, have only had access to drinking water one day out of three. The authorities have announced voluntary cuts to cope with a drought not equaled since 1997. This exceptional measure should make it possible to limit consumption while waiting for the effects of several projects launched in emergency.
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The works are expected to improve the production and water supply by the end of the year. First with the installation of osmosis units, devices capable of desalinating sea water. Several small osmosis units will produce nearly 70 m3 per day, between October and November. Another larger one will be able to provide 1,000 m3 once installed on a beach in the west of the territory.
The objective is also to facilitate the circulation of resources throughout the archipelago, with pipeline works, in particular to connect the two main islands. The Mahoran authorities have finally set out to find new sources, thanks to drilling, as well as leaks on the network. Losses reach a third of production.
While waiting for this work to bear fruit, the 300,000 inhabitants of Mayotte will have to go without tap water for 48 hours, every 24 hours. The cuts will last several hours a day for residents of high activity sectors, such as Mamoudzou, the prefecture.
The restrictions imposed since the beginning of the year have not been sufficiently effective. Withdrawals were still too high in relation to the sudden drop in the rivers. Without these new cuts, the hill reservoirs, these storage facilities, would have been dry in September.
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