Heavy Rain Shuts Down Water-Starved Dodoland

Yesterday. And just like in 2008, people have lost their lives too during the past few days. I guess Mauritians again experienced how resilient we are. Some people think we should rename ourselves as Gopialand.

Long live the bean-counters!!!

CWA Applies Harsher Cuts, After Downpour

Plus you will be fined if you are caught washing your car. You may not even collect 200 and go to jail directly for up to two years as per section 49a of the CWA act. Ain't that so funny after all the rain we've received the past few days? With some regions being practically flooded?

CWA will carry on with the patchwork: Midlands dam will now be connected to Mare-aux-Vacoas. That's after linking Mare Longue to the island's largest reservoir. So, the minister's prayers haven't worked. Neither has the recent water hike. They also seem to be telling us that there is water in the Midlands area. How come then Phase 2 of the reservoir there did not get done? Is it the same reason why policemen have only one used shirt to wear?

This critical problem is here to stay until those responsible of the dossier quit sitting on their hands. Or are fired and fined.

How Much Value Does Water Master Plan Add?

The MBC said that it recommends the creation of an independent unit for the management of our water resources. I don't think we really need another layer of red tape. We already have too many of these. Just like we have all the information and people we need to quickly solve our water problems. And there are some good blogs out there which have already addressed this water issue to quite some depth.

Probably a new report was ordered so as to kill some more time or maybe someone has been eating too many funny mushrooms. Not a good strategy. 

Hallelujah!

Who Says The Next Rainy Season Gonna Be Better?

Nobody. In fact, if global warming has modified rain patterns it would be silly to stay put and expect Mare-aux-Vacoas to fill up with the same regularity as it used to. So that we may be better off building smaller reservoirs in the places where rainfall has been more generous in the recent past. And give phase two of the Midlands dam the go-ahead. In other words we need a good plan. The snag is that no ministry has been taking care of planning for a while now. This hasn't changed either with the latest permutation in the cabinet.

Despair not. We still have a direct line to God.

More Water Than Mare aux Vacoas

That's how much of the precious liquid Phase 2 of the Midlands Dam would have been holding these days if it had been built during Mamou (Chacha being already taken) Ramgoolam's second mandate.

How do I arrive at this? Simple. Given that Midlands Dam was 83.2% full on April 5th, it's not too much of a stretch to assume that its Phase 2 would have clipped a similar water level. At a capacity of 17 million m3 that translates to 14.1 million m3 or 13% more than the water currently in our 125-year old Mare aux Vacoas.

Why was Phase 2 not built? Guess that's what happens when you entrust critical economic positions to a toxic bean-counting duet.

Kuma Pu Regle Problem Dilo

1. Met laru anba Maro-Vakwa apre buz li kot lapli tonbe
2. Rekumans priye selman sakula diman bondie viz inpe kuma dimun
3. Mont pri dilo par 10-20% parski sa pu rempli Maro-Vakwa tudswit
4. Lans en enhensment program pu ban minis – fer cabinet miting fini dimans tanto
5. Fer ban fib optik sarye dilo
6. Fer tu tax vin zero kumsa guvernman pu gayn kas pu ranz en lot rezervwar
7. Fer pers tu ban tiyo kumsa delo pu aret perdi
8. Ranpli en de avion sitern ar dilo lapli apre fer zet sa dan Maro-Vakwa tu le zur
9. Fer Moris vin dan dis premier dan sa gran gran gran renking kiapel Doing Business la
10. Dir ban turis amen zot prop dilo

Prayer Never A Substitute For Basic Management

Unlike what some of our pusari-politicians would have us believe. See, water stopped running almost as soon as Char Pahar Ki Puja ended this morning.

How State Could Have Spent Our Money Better

By giving the green light for Phase 2 of the Midlands Dam during the last 5 years. Phase 1 cost USD 60 million (Rs1.8 billion) and took Lahmeyer International 3 years to build. That increased our water storage capacity by 40% in 2003. Phase 2 would have added another 17 million cubic metres or 20% more. That would have set us back by about Rs1.2 billion or 25% of the amount the STC claims it lost on hedging but it would have reduced frustration levels and saved a few billions in lost economic output this year alone.

But we have to understand that government was busy ripping us off with abusive retail energy prices and broadcasting dumb propaganda. Plaisir quand tu me tiens...

Economy Could Grow By Only 2% in 2011

Or about half the current forecast of 4.2% because of how dumb we've become managing things in general and water in particular. See Minister Beebeejaun is saying that we are facing a 1-in-40 year drought which is exactly what the authorities said to us in 1999 when lower than usual rainfall cut economic growth by 50%.

True the Midlands dam came to life in 2003 but we have to remember that our economy has grown by a third since then. And I don't think it's possible at all to shower with the Mo Ibrahim Index rankings.

How Much For A New Reservoir?

Since yesterday the CWA has started implementing water cuts on the back of the same old excuses. These cuts are a very good indicator of the average level of management of our country. See, our population was controlled ages back, we sit next to one of the rainiest spots on earth (Reunion Island) and we're a rich country so how difficult is it to make sure that water stoppages become history for all of us?

It definitely can't be as difficult as the water supply problems of Singapore which imports more than half of the stuff from Malaysia and yet it's one of the most competitive places in the world year after year. They've managed this one with NEWater (recycling waste water), desalination and increasing the water catchment area. That sounds like uber problem-solvers at work, doesn't it?

And how does going to ocean depths to run our air-con sound? Un plaisir, sans doute...

Reintroduction of Daylight Saving Time Confirms Mauritius Hasn't Got Its Priorities Right

Especially after you consider the government's dumb response when oil prices almost tripled from USD 50 to USD 147 a barrel over the last three years has been to make the purchase of bigger cars easier. Not making a sufficiently comfortable and reliable public transportation system available so that commuters would leave their cars at home is additional proof that we are suffering from a serious breakdown in leadership and management here.

It would also have been better for Ramgoolam to make good on his year-old chess-thumping promise of reviewing the abusive IPP contracts. Speaking about priorities, here is one more: we need to build another reservoir as quickly as possible or we run the risk of a repeat of 1999 when a serious drought halved our economic output. The latter risk, you would have noticed, is an entirely domestic issue: I guess you can call it an internal shock.