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The CWA on rent mode ? An assessment

13 janvier 2016, 15:18

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The CWA on rent mode ? An assessment

In July 2011, while having a Board of Governors’ meeting of St. Andrew’s School, Ivan Collendavelloo, who is also a Board member, congratulated me upon my nomination as Chairman of the CWA and at the same time told me «mo pas ti content dans to place». As per God’s will, the same Ivan would become Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Public Utilities in December 2014 with CWA under his responsibility.

Since I joined in as Chairman, a lot has been said, discussed and reflected upon on concepts like privatization, public-private partnership and the not well understood term «affermage» with a view to improving the quality of services provided by the CWA. Reports have accumulated regarding this issue since January 2008. Experts from the World Bank (2008) have analysed the situation and submitted recommendations to Government. In September 2010, another bulky report, the “National Water Policy” was tabled.

Upon the request of the former Prime Minister, a strong team from the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and from CH2MHILL visited Mauritius and presented the “Water Sector Reform” document to Government of Mauritius in March 2012 based on the Singapore experience. There were also delegations from other countries who came forward with all sorts of proposals.

In November 2014 and again in December 2014, barely one week before the 2014 General Elections, a well known French firm was requested «en catimini» to make an assessment of the situation at the CWA with a view to takingover its administration. The delegation did meet me at the CWA. I did not table their recommendations to the Central Water Board for obvious reason.

Nothing came out of the reports and policy reform projects mentioned above and now the term «affermage» has emerged again out of water as ventilated by l’express of 29th December, 2015. I would like as a responsible citizen to raise a few issues, make certain comments and recommendations.

Mauritius normally has a good annual rainfall (an average of 2,000 mm with 4,000 mm falling in the main catchment zone) an equivalent of 3,900 M3/person/year. Approximately 90% of it is lost through evaporation and runoff. As a result, renewable water availability is only 1,083 M3/person/year which is well below the 1,700 M3/ person/year the United Nations defines as “stress level”. Furthermore, the tourist industry, which consumes around 42% of the total supply, must have access to a large and reliable source of water to remain viable. Just to remind readers that Israel which receives much less rainfall than Mauritius provides to its people potable water on a 24/7 basis. 

We are not doing enough to catch the rain as it falls. This reminds me of Malcolm de Chazal who in 1952 wrote «…et la pluie glisse dans le sous-sol caverneux de notre île et s’en va par des ruisseaux souterrains et en surface à la mer… la mer prend peu à peu la richesse de la terre et la richesse du ciel…nous laissons toute notre fortune aller à la mer… c’est bête… agissons». Just to remind readers that every year, around 100,000,000 M3 of fresh water reach the sea from our 25 rivers alone.

The CWA sells 1 liter of treated and distributed water at 0,05 cent i.e. 4,000 times less than the same volume of bottled water sold in any shop. We need to reduce the per capita consumption of potable water which is 170 liters/per day, which is higher than any island of the Indian Ocean. Is it because our water is so cheap? The CWA spends Rs 15 to treat and distribute 1 M3 of water for consumption and sells it at Rs 4.50/M3 to consumers consuming less than 10 M3, which is the cheapest in any African country.

Providing up to 6 M3 of potable water free to around 63,000 poor and needy consumers will cost the CWA Rs 3.6 million/ month. This is a commendable decision. However, I have witnessed hundreds of cases of irrational use and irresponsible wastage of potable water, especially during periods of water shortage during the meteorologically dry season. Aggressive sensitization campaigns have not produced the expected results making me strongly believe that for many the tendency to use potable water according to their wants and not to their needs prevail. For me, the only solution is to increase water tariffs for heavy consumers and make the rich subsidise the poor.

Let me here relate just two episodes:

1. In October 2013, there was a problem of water shortage in a small village of Black River not far from Le Morne. I was requested by the then DPM to go on site to analyse the situation for necessary remedial actions. One inhabitant came to me and forwarded an unpaid CWA bill amounting to Rs 54. The person told me he could not afford to pay being poor and unemployed. He was holding a packet of 20 cigarettes in his left hand with a handsome lighter. I casually asked him how many cigarettes he smokes a week and the answer was two packets. For him, the basic needs seemed to be cigarettes and not potable water.

2. In November 2014, on a Sunday morning, I was playing golf at Belle Mare. I received a phone call from the CWA informing me that there was a riot in a nearby village. I left the golf course immediately and went on site. There were people on the road which was blocked by logs, boulders and tyres. I went by incognito and casually talked to some of the inhabitants who took to the street. When I asked since when their taps had remained dry, the answer was a casual one… “Boss…pas ena trop problème…nou fine gagne en ti pitae pou mette la faya”. Awesome, reallly awesome.

Although Government has to ascertain a certain social responsibility towards the poor and will ensure that the most vulnerable have access to potable water as a basic human right, cost recovery is essential for all infrastructural developments and operation ensuring financial sustainability. Therefore, all beneficiaries must pay an appropriate amount towards the cost of providing the services.

Attitudes and honesty are two important positive values at any workplace. The present work schedule at the CWA i.e. the 9 – 4 p.m. needs to be reorganized with a view towards adopting a 24 hour shift system in lieu of providing the much sought after overtime after office hours. This would, to a large extent, improve the quality of services provided by the CWA on a 24 hour basis. I have seen enough of this reactive and “fire extinguishing” scenario since years.

Water is a finite and vulnerable resource. Hence, an Integrated Water Management System (IWMS) should be set up and adopted for a holistic development of our water resources, for maintaining our raw water quality which is more and more being polluted by leachates and algae bloom and management of our water supply infrastructure for better operation efficiency and at the same time maintaining the quality of our aquatic ecosystem.

Empirical research on impact of climate change on our water resources and strategies for the mitigation of any adverse meteorological events and a new look at water rights would help make a great leap towards sustainability of our water resources.

The problem of water scarcity in Mauritius will not be solved without dramatic technological breakthroughs including using wireless sensor network to detect leakage in the water distributing system, roof collectors with filtering system and treatment device at household level and in large buildings (Smart cities), desalting seawater using reverse osmosis and green technology. I am thinking here of using a wave driven desalination system that can be deployed quickly and operate completely off CEB grid and supply large quantities of fresh water at competitive costs to hotels and other commercial and industrial users in the south. The southern coast of Mauritius is ideal for such a project known as Wave2Otm which has proven success in Boston, USA.

In early 2014, implementation of major water supply projects around Rs 3.3 billion funded through loans from the Government of Mauritius were seriously hampered due to the inordinate delays in the signing of the relevant loan agreements between the CWA and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development… With serious consequences. This situation must never happen again.

In October 2012, I prepared a document proposing a set of criteria and procedure for appointment and promotion at the CWA with a view for the Authority to recognize professional excellence and merit for recruiting and promoting staff at various grades and be in line with approved standards as practiced at the MRA and in other Institutions. For obscure socio-political reasons, that document was not favoured. As per CWA Act, Ministers approval is required for all decisions taken by the Board… even for the recruitment of labourers. The CWA Act must be amended for the sake of good governance.

IN CONCLUSION

We must be very careful and make assurance doubly sure before we “rent” the CWA to a foreign organization and I have no doubt that any organization will NOT accept a «longue la queue ferblanc» attached to its back by accepting the present conditions, especially the present low water tariffs, the prevailing work schedule, the attitudes of a few and so on. The argument is that an overseas firm will come forward with a new style of management, inject new skills and technology and a better work ethos. Fair enough. However, the CWA can definitely run on its own steam if it is made to be financially sustainable in terms of a regular rise in water tariffs based on current inflation rate, a review of its structure and management mechanism. What I have seen during my mandate can be summed up by what a top management officer once told me… «Gouvernement attache nou lamain ek nou lipied... apres zotte dire nous nager». The CWA did manage to keep its head out of water but with a certain “electric shock boost” can achieve the target set by Government i.e. providing safe potable water on a 24/7 basis. We must believe in ourselves and in the capacity of fellow Mauritians.

Prem.saddul@orange.mu