Saturday 30th of March 2013: a Black Day to remember for the Mauritian population. The disaster that took place in the island following torrential rains causing a flash flood in the region of Port-Louis where 11 people lost their life in tragic circumstances.
An unprecedented tragedy
We have to go back to 1960 during the passage of Cyclone Carol to record such a high death toll: 39 victims. More than 50 years later, 11 people perished when more than 150 millimeters of continuous torrential rains fell within just 2 hours. Figures are explicit: 8 dead bodies were discovered in the region of Port-Louis, out of which 6 in the underground tunnel of Caudan Waterfront. During the day, 3 more bodies were found, out of which 2 in the underground parking of Harbour Front Building.
At a glance
Everyone has been trying to find the guilty party responsible for the floods. As stated by Honorable Navin Ramgoolam, our Prime Minister, these floods are linked to dramatic climatic changes. There were criticisms about the meteorological station of Vacoas, some tried to find scapegoats and citizen platforms have been established on social media networks to define the role and responsibility of the acting government, the responsibility of Honorable Anil Bachoo, Minister of Public Infrastructure has been put forward for the role he played in the drainage and water evacuation management, road asphalting, the Ring Road Project and the obstruction of Ruisseau La Source in the vicinity of Port-Louis, the basic and rudimentary equipment that the Vacoas meteorological station makes use of every day, the slow reaction of the Mauritian police forces, but far from all this turmoil, the most vital point to be taken into account remains the “the after-flood” situation.
How to deal with future floods and similar circumstances? If the Vacoas meteorological station is unable to inform the public about the risks and location of torrential rains, how would people protect themselves? The meteorological bulletin of the Vacoas Station issued on that day gave no indication that the rains would be so intense, be it so drastic!
Instead of all those internal political squabbling between the Government and the Oppostion in trying to find a ‘culprit’ for the death of those 11 people, won’t it be much wiser to concentrate all their energy in trying to cater for solutions to prevent this type of tragedy to happen again? One must note that Mauritius has been hit by an unprecedented climatic phenomenon and that the island can be hit at any time by similar climatic disaster. Are Mauritian ready to face such circumstances? Are there evacuation plans put in place? Our future remains uncertain but it is never too late and as it is often stated, united we stand. We just have to unite, citizens and policy makers to put in place a strategy which will help us face the future with more serenity.
Way ahead Climatic changes are more than ever threatening our planet and its consequences have already been observed in some parts of the world. Global warming is causing the poles to melt and as a result, the ocean water level is continuously rising. The GIEC (Groupe Intergouvernemental sur l’Evolution du Climat), in a study was carried out in 2001, states that an annual warming of 3 degrees celcius over some centuries will lead to the complete melt of the Greenland’s ice sheet. This would lead to a rise of the global ocean level of 7 meters! So, many countries like Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Maldives Islands and French Polynesia will be in danger of being submerged. The world will be full of climate refugees.
Hence, many countries have started to take preventive measures to counter this upcoming dramatic situation and among them, the Netherlands where about 60 % of its land is under the sea level. The country is struggling on two fronts: from the west, the sea level is rising and from the east, the flow of Maas and Rhine rivers are continuously putting pressure on the dykes which may collapse at any time.
To protect the towns and population, a great territorial rehearsal has to done and according to the Dutch government, the Netherlands must spend nearly 2 billion euros annually in the coming decades to protect low-lying areas from coastal flooding. The Netherlands in 2015 is set to complete a $3 billion flood control program called Room for the River, in which rather than continually heightening its vast system of dikes along rivers to guard against more frequent and higher surges triggered by climate change, 39 spots have been designated to allow the waterways to expand naturally.
The point has also been raised in the United States in Miami when there as well, prevention has already started. Thanks to a $50 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), massive pumps, which move 4,500 gallons of water per second at these canal floodgates, have been installed.
In Mauritius, the Prime Minister has announced that a panel of Singaporean expects will visit Mauritius to find answers to the causes of such devastating floods. He also claimed that a judicial inquiry will be launched to define the responsibility of every concerned party. Finally he has handed over vouchers of Rs.100 000 to each of the 88 victims of Canal Dayot. Sable Noir, Cité Vallihee and Pailles to buy electric appliances and basic necessities.
Mauritian solidarity and tribute to the victims Mauritians have showed great solidarity towards the flood victims especially in Canal Dayot where material damages were the most significant. People from different areas of the country converged there and helped the victims to clean and repair the damaged houses etc. They offered free food, clothes and basic necessities to them. A “télédon” (fund raising) was organized by the Ministry of Social Integration and the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation to help those people and the sum of Rs 3,698350 was collected in cash, by cheque and by SMS.
A National Day of Mourning was declared on the 1st of April 2013 to pay tribute to those who lost their life in the flood and to the other lost almost everything. A candlelight gathering was organized by the Municipality of Port-Louis and a mass was held in St James Cathedral.
Deep special thoughts to those who lost their life in the floods, to their relatives and to all the collateral victims who lost everything in that tragedy; a way to tell them that we don’t and won’t forget them!
Written By
Dany Gowsee
