This time it was in Curepipe. Citizens were outraged that they've been without running water for up to two weeks. But what else could we expect when regressive tax policies have crippled government so much that it can't even pay for its own eye-hospital? And things will get worse as long as we remain on the wrong side of compounding. Boolell was there trying to score some cheap points -- the government revenue shortfall between 2005 and 2014 was big enough to change the 1,600km of leaking pipes at least five times over.
24/7 water is unlikely to happen when Collendavelloo completes his first term as Minister in the next few months. This is kind of obvious. See, when he took over about 45% of households enjoyed an all-day supply and this week he said it had reached 70%. So if it took 4 years to increase the percentage of subscribers getting round-the-clock water by 25 percentage points (by probably changing around 730km of leaking pipes) it will surely take more than a year to add the last 30% subscribers. Even if the Bagatelle dam comes into operation soon. In fact on the current trajectory 24/7 is not happening before the 2024 election year. Which is a good reason to put as much pressure as possible on government so it brings back some sanity to our tax structure. Because we surely don’t want 400,000 people to have water problems for another 4-5 years.
Public debate on this matter can also be enhanced if the Minister puts at least three very basic series of data on the CWA's website (the last annual report available there is for 2015). These are the length of the water network at the end of each year and the length and cost of pipes laid each year since the end of 1967.
24/7 water is unlikely to happen when Collendavelloo completes his first term as Minister in the next few months. This is kind of obvious. See, when he took over about 45% of households enjoyed an all-day supply and this week he said it had reached 70%. So if it took 4 years to increase the percentage of subscribers getting round-the-clock water by 25 percentage points (by probably changing around 730km of leaking pipes) it will surely take more than a year to add the last 30% subscribers. Even if the Bagatelle dam comes into operation soon. In fact on the current trajectory 24/7 is not happening before the 2024 election year. Which is a good reason to put as much pressure as possible on government so it brings back some sanity to our tax structure. Because we surely don’t want 400,000 people to have water problems for another 4-5 years.
Public debate on this matter can also be enhanced if the Minister puts at least three very basic series of data on the CWA's website (the last annual report available there is for 2015). These are the length of the water network at the end of each year and the length and cost of pipes laid each year since the end of 1967.
And the bi-decennial Hydrology Yearbook - this contains all historical data on rainfall, catchment areas, precipitation received, flow patterns in all watercourses, borehole production (aquifer yield) - a treasure trove of information on our local water cycle (water mass balance, to be precise), a bible to all infrastructure planners (architects, engineers, urbanists, etc.) and which provides a scientific baseline for designing basic amenities like drains, earthen slopes (embankments), roads, canals, reservoirs and the like - in fact, anything that needs to handle rainfall and its consequences - even the sizing of rain spouts of your house or the grooves on your overhanging slabs/canopies need to be checked every now and then for adequacy of their shape to handle extremes in rainfall.
ReplyDeleteWith outdated data, no wonder your design will be flawed, as well as whatever you build from that, therefore putting lives at risk.
The last Hydrology Yearbook was issued in 2005. We're one year away from the third missing already.
But Sithanen will soon become finance minister again -- just wait and see.
ReplyDelete@ Sanjay: thanks for the update. Let's hope the 2015 update will be published soon... And that our authorities are already using the data to integrate into their design
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous: how much would you bet on that...? But I get your point: there are so many more bean-counters to choose from nowadays.q
Heard Alan Ganoo say that the authorities had been aware of the wastewater reflux in St Paul for a year and that a water pipe in Forest Side had to be changed for four years. These are wonderful opportunities for Sithanen to showcase his panache.
ReplyDelete