Africa-Press – Mauritius. As part of the preparedness for the forthcoming rainy season, it is of utmost importance that the cleaning of drains and desilting of rivers around the island are completed at the earliest possible, ideally all related works should be completed well before the end of January 2026.
The Minister of National Infrastructure, Mr Govindranath Gunness, made this statement this morning at the Port Louis Municipal Council. He was chairing a meeting attended by representatives of Municipal and District Councils, the Land Drainage Authority and other stakeholders. The aim was to assess the status of drain and watercourse cleaning operations in anticipation of heavy rainfall.
Minister Gunness recalled that following a first meeting held in September this year, financial clearance has been obtained from the Ministry of Finance for the disbursement of Rs 249 million to the 12 local authorities for the cleaning of drains and desilting of rivers.
He pointed out that some cleaning works are being carried out in-house by the local authorities and that bids for the desilting of rivers should be launched in order for works to be completed at the earliest.
He highlighted that the local authorities also had the opportunity to express the difficulties that they are currently facing regarding the cleaning and desilting exercises and that solutions have been proposed. The meeting was also an opportunity to assess priority areas which need more attention following the heavy rainfall registered during the past few days.
The Minister also urged the population to act responsibly by avoiding littering drains or throwing waste products in rivers, thus mitigating flooding risks.
