From Monday, “water will be (…) distributed to the tap every other day” in Mayotte, the territory’s prefecture announced Wednesday January 10 in a press release. This is an easing of water cuts, until now distributed one day in three. “The meteorological improvement and (…) vigilance regarding the resource made it possible to stabilize water resources, which had reached a critical level,” adds the prefecture, while calling on the population to “continue their efforts and ensure their consumption”.
Since the end of August 2023, running water has only been available one day out of three in Mayotte due to a historic drought, coupled with a lack of infrastructure and investment.
The arrival of the rainy season, during December, raised the level of the two hill reservoirs (artificial lakes) which provide, with the rivers, 80% of Mayotte’s water supply.
Faced with this crisis, the government has taken several measures, including covering the water bills of the Mahorais and the free distribution of bottled water to the population.
At the end of December, fifteen residents and a company from the archipelago filed a complaint with the Mamoudzou public prosecutor’s office against the Mayotte Intercommunal Water and Sanitation Union (SIEAM) and its delegatee, accusing them of exposing them to an immediate risk of death or injury.