Africa-Press – Mauritius. A seminar on spiritual, political, and environmental importance of water in the context of International Day of Peace 2021 was held today in Ebène. It aims to raise awareness on the fundamental role of water in all its capacities, that is, to sustain existence of humans on earth, efficient utilisation of water resources as well as its conservation for the future.
The Vice-President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Eddy Boissezon, the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management, and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano and other personalities were present.
The event, an initiative of the Council of Religions in collaboration with the Embassy of Egypt in Mauritius, aims to reflect on the critical value of water and collective effort to implement subsequent actions to preserve and efficiently utilise this valuable resource.
In a statement, the Vice-President spoke of the essential role of water in the socio-economic progress of a country as well as on the spiritual and political front.
Water, remains a major cause for conflict across the world, resulting to political instability, and undermining security and peace, he added. He further cautioned on wastage of water and stressed on the need to use water efficiently as it is vital for the safety, progress and development of a country.
Minister Ramano underlined that water is a vital resource to sustain all forms of life on earth. He highlighted that with rapid development in the country, water has become even more important as every activity including agriculture, industry, construction and tourism necessitates large amount of water.
He pointed out that though 70% of the planet is covered with water, 97% out of it is sea water and the remaining 3% is freshwater and added that around 3.5 million of people around the world die each year from poor sanitization and diseases related to unsafe drinking water.
As regard water resources in Mauritius, he indicated that the country has witnessed a general reduction of around 8 % over the last 50 years in the annual precipitation.
Government, he stressed is determined to demonstrate its commitment to strengthen its water adaptive capacity, thus contributing to the efficient conservation of this scarce resource.
The concerned ministry has implemented several measures to address the threats of scarcity of water resources as well as to provide high quality of drinking water and promote judicious use of water, he underscored.
