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Rs 122 Million Lost on Unusable Water Reservoirs, Construction Flaws Found

A recent visit by the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Patrick Assirvaden, to the water reservoirs in Cluny and Nouvelle-France has revealed shocking construction flaws, rendering the facilities unusable. The reservoirs, built at a cost of Rs 74 million and Rs 48 million respectively by the company Sotravic, are a stark example of the failure of public management, marked by design flaws, lack of rigorous supervision, and a blatant disregard for the country’s priorities.
The Minister’s visit on January 16, 2025, exposed significant defects in the construction of these structures, which were intended to improve access to water in the southern region of the island.
“These infrastructures, meant to enhance water supply in the South, now symbolize a blatant waste of public resources,” Minister Assirvaden stated, expressing his outrage at the situation.
“This is completely unacceptable, and the Central Water Authority (CWA) will be held accountable,” he added.
During the visit, the Officer-in-Charge of the CWA and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry were present but failed to provide satisfactory explanations to the Minister’s incisive questions.
The Cluny reservoir, which was inaugurated with great fanfare on August 17, 2023, in the presence of former Minister Joe Lesjongard, former Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, and the three MPs of constituency No. 11, now stands as an empty shell.
A staggering 25 cracks have been detected in the infrastructure, rendering it completely unusable.
Since its commissioning, the reservoir has remained empty, forcing authorities to rely on underground boreholes to supply water to Cluny, New-Grove, and Nouvelle-France.
Similarly, the Nouvelle-France reservoir, built at a cost of Rs 48 million, also exhibits design flaws.
Although the details of these anomalies have not been made public, the state of these infrastructures raises concerns about the quality of materials used and the supervision of the construction work.
This incident is adding to a long list of controversies surrounding the former General Manager of the CWA, Prakash Maunthrooa.
The scandal involving Rs 700 million for the replacement of pipes across the country is still fresh in memory.
Massive irregularities had been reported by the then Chief Internal Auditor, but they were ignored by the management at the time.
According to Defi Media sources, this case may be referred to the Financial Crimes Commission.
The construction of the two reservoirs, carried out by Sotravic, should have been rigorously supervised, but the numerous failures detected today reveal a disturbing laxity at every stage of the process, from initial design to final delivery.
These failures could not have come at a worse time for the country, which is experiencing an unprecedented water crisis, exacerbated by a persistent drought.
The Cluny and Nouvelle-France reservoirs, intended to improve water supply in the southern region, are now unusable, adding to the pressure on a country where rainfall is well below seasonal averages, groundwater levels are depleted, and dam levels are alarmingly low.
In addition to the Cluny and Nouvelle-France reservoirs, major problems have been identified at the Rivière-du-Poste water treatment plant.
The situation is alarming, with mud present in the system severely affecting the quality of the distributed water.
In response, the Minister has ordered a comprehensive report on the water quality from all the country’s reservoirs.
He has also demanded clarification on the design of the reservoirs, compliance with construction stages, and the quality of materials used.
The people of Mauritius deserve better, and it is imperative that those responsible for this debacle are held accountable.
Immediate action required to address the water crisis and ensure that public funds are utilized efficiently and effectively to provide essential services to the population.
Source: Defi Media