Africa-Press – Mauritius. A consultative workshop on the proposed Water Resources Bill, aiming to gather proposals and identify challenges for a sustainable water management, opened this morning at the Westin Turtle Bay Resort and Spa, Balaclava.
The Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Georges Pierre Lesjongard, the Consultant responsible for the drafting of the Water Resources Bill, Mr Melvin Woodhouse, the Director of Technical Services, Mr Doumeraj Jahajeeah and other personalities were also present.
In his address, Minister Lesjongard stated that the proposed Water Resources Bill is an important milestone in the consolidation and modernisation of the existing fragmented provisions relating to the water sector contained in different legislations.
The new overarching legal framework, he indicated will be aligned with Government’s vision for sustainable water management. The new bill, he highlighted, will focus on water governance, water allocation, protection of water resources, and efficient use and conservation of water resources.
The Minister further underlined that water systems, that keep ecosystems thriving and feed a growing human population, have become stressed and that rivers, lakes and aquifers are drying up.
Mauritius, he underpinned depends wholly on rainfall for its water sources and as a small island developing state, the country is facing the impacts of climate change.
The situation, he added is compounded with the increasing demand for water from different sectors of economic activity, thus it is imperative to adopt a holistic management approach with sustainability of the water sector being at the core of all strategies, he underscored.
Minster Lesjongard further pointed out that the management of the surface and ground waters is scattered over several legislations and causes dispersed responsibility as well as accountability.
It is essential to reform the legal and institutional framework governing the water sector so as to provide for a modern and consolidated approach to key water management aspects, he pointed out. He recalled that the development of a legal framework to regulate the water sector was announced in the Government Programme 2020- 2024.
The Minister called for a change in mindset at all levels to efficiently manage water resources, to avoid wastage and unreasonable use so as to ensure its sustainability for the present and future generations.
He also dwelt on several water harnessing initiatives such as rainwater harvesting, re-use of treated effluents, desalination which according to him will gain prominence in time.
As for Mr Woodhouse, he indicated that the current water legal framework no longer responds to the sound, efficient and sustainable requirement of the water sector in line with the overall national and global policy frameworks.
He stressed on the need to revise the legal framework for water and it’s intended benefits. The main objective, he said, is to secure water as well as to ensure the sustainable development, conservation and efficient use of water resources in Mauritius.
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