A shocking number of 715 out of 1,149 public buildings (62.2%) still do not hold a “Fire Certificate”.
This was reportedly revealed in a study conducted by the Ministry of Public Service in collaboration with the Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service in August.
Additionally, out of the 248 buildings that are rented by the government, 91 do not have fire certificates.
According to Defi Media, the government has asked a supervisory committee to remedy this situation as soon as possible.
The State and Other Employees Federation has urged the government to make the list public.
Non-compliant buildings, it said, have been placed in two categories: Those that require minor works and those that need major works.
Last year, authorities confirmed that a total of 404 buildings had important deficiencies and need “substantial funds” to be compliant to health and safety laws.
The scale of the problem was revealed in a written response filed in Parliament by Anwar Husnoo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Administrations and Disaster Risk Management, to a question from the opposition Whip, Patrice Armance.
Dr Husnoo said the “most important deficiencies” include the absence of a fire alarm system and a lack of emergency exits (emergency door or staircase).
Some 401 buildings could not have their Fire Certificates due to “small” deficiencies: lack of fire extinguishers, emergency lighting system and signs for emergency exits, among others.
In July 2017, firefighters had indicated that around 950 out of 1,110 government buildings did not have a Fire Certificate. An inter-ministerial committee had been set up with the aim of finding quick solutions.
Five years later, a significant number of the buildings that had been pinned down still remain non-compliant to security laws.
With inputs from Defi Media
