🇲🇺MauritiusEast Africa
Rivière des Anguilles Dam construction set to begin this year after years of delays
via Le Mauricien4 min read
The construction of the Rivière des Anguilles Dam is anticipated to commence this year, with completion projected for 2029. This announcement was made by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, despite the project having been announced in 2009 and facing numerous delays. The Central Procurement Board is expected to award the construction contract in the coming weeks. Two Chinese firms, China International Water & Electric Corp and Sinohydro Corporation Limited, are currently in contention, with project cost proposals ranging from 5 to 7 billion rupees. The project will be financed by a consortium including the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the Saudi Fund for Development, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development. Public Utilities Minister Patrick Assirvaden confirmed that construction could start around November or December. The dam is considered a strategic project aimed at enhancing national water storage capacity, improving resilience to climate change, and ensuring a sustainable water supply for the growing demand in the southern part of the island. It is expected to benefit 50,000 to 60,000 families in the South, Southeast, and Southwest regions, which frequently experience water shortages during dry periods. The Rivière des Anguilles, which will supply the dam, is known for its clean water, with an estimated 1.8 million cubic meters per month currently lost to nature and the sea. The dam will be a rockfill structure with a bitumen watertight lining, approximately 2,200 meter
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Le Mauricien.
Adi Teelock, a member of Platform Moris Lanvironman and an environmental activist, states that the construction and operation of infrastructure for artificial intelligence development, particularly data centers, carry significant environmental and social costs due to their high energy and water consumption for cooling. She emphasizes that in a country facing water stress and an energy crisis, which disproportionately affect low-income households, the government needs to clarify its policy on these issues. Teelock also expresses concern about the M4 highway, which primarily benefits individual transport and real estate projects, questioning its environmental impact and its ability to improve inter and intra-village connectivity given inadequate public transport. She argues that projects like the M4 highway and urban regeneration in the port area require technical, financial, environmental, and social feasibility studies, as well as strategic environmental and social assessments, due to their climatic, environmental, and social costs. Teelock highlights the critical importance of ocean health in the context of climate and biodiversity crises, urging that policies in this area should not exacerbate these existential threats. While acknowledging positive announcements regarding coastal protection through nature-based solutions, tourism, solid waste management, agroforestry, food security, solar electricity, and the water sector, she stresses the need to see the related strategies
Must ReadThe Financial Crimes Commission FCC investigation into the nearly Rs 30 billion oil contract awarded to Maritime & Mercantile Group MMG reportedly made a significant breakthrough by examining the mobile phone of Kareena Neisius, MMG's local representative. Data extracted from her phone, including messages, calls, and communication timelines, allowed the FCC's forensic department to reconstruct exchanges leading up to the contract's award. This digital analysis shifted the investigation's focus from administrative procedures to potential relationships between MMG's representative and individuals involved in the decision-making process. Investigators are now probing whether sensitive information related to the tender circulated outside official channels and if certain actors received privileged information before the State Trading Corporation's final decision. The inquiry also examines the circumstances surrounding the exclusion of other bidders and exchanges during pre-contract negotiations. Neisius has been questioned multiple times, with her statements compared against phone data and other protagonists' declarations. Inconsistencies reportedly led to broader checks. Former Finance Minister Renganaden Padayachy and former Commerce Minister Soodesh Callichurn were subsequently summoned, questioned under warning, and arrested on a provisional charge of "public official using office for gratification for another person." The FCC views these arrests as a new phase, with investiga
Must ReadMauritius's budget estimates for the 2026/27 financial year project revenues of Rs 234.1 billion, an increase of Rs 31 billion from the Rs 203.1 billion in 2025/26. However, public finances faced an additional shortfall of Rs 20 billion for the financial year ending June 30, beyond the Rs 10 billion from the aborted Chagos Deal. The government anticipates receiving Rs 198.5 billion from taxes in 2026/27, including Rs 18.1 billion from income taxes, Rs 44.2 billion from corporate taxes, and Rs 65.9 billion from Value Added Tax VAT. Excise duties on consumer products are expected to generate Rs 8.4 billion from alcoholic beverages, Rs 9.9 billion from cigarettes, Rs 4.3 billion from petroleum products, and Rs 3.6 billion from cars and other vehicles. Public debt is projected to reach Rs 670.5 billion, or 86.3% of GDP, by the end of this month, increasing to Rs 713.3 billion by the end of June 2027, and Rs 773.7 billion, or 79% of GDP, by the end of June 2029, the year of the next general elections. Foreign debt is expected to exceed Rs 100 billion, reaching Rs 114.7 billion by the end of next June, up from Rs 98.6 billion on June 30 of this year.