Ministry of Environment and Energy
Message by the Minister for Environment and Energy, Professor Rolph Payet
to commemorate the World Water Day 2014
22nd March 2014
The theme for World Water Day this year is Water and Energy. A very appropriate theme indeed since the interdependence between water and energy, called water-energy nexus, is all too evident in Seychelles and other countries around the world.
The issues of water and energy are of decisive importance for humanity and its future. Access to safe, reliable and affordable water and energy supplies is critical for sustained economic development of every country. The bulk of the Earth’s water is unsuitable for human consumption, and only about 3 % of it is freshwater.
Our dependence on water is critical and managing this precious resource is complex and delicate. We need water in the right amount, at the right place, at the right time and at the right quality. With too much rain water, floods disrupt our activities and often resulting in major economic setback.
With protracted drought as we in Seychelles are experiencing increasingly, population suffers and vital industries are adversely affected. The link between water and energy enables us to address the difficulties of water management more efficiently.
Development of centralised drinking water treatment and distribution systems presents a formidable challenge to the Government, as without the pumps we would not be able to distribute the water. Furthermore, the desalination plants require energy to operate. Our efforts to explore the possibility of having microhydro generators in our rivers to produce electricity will continue.
With the assistance from Government, PUC have already invested in a number of water projects for Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. Plans for comprehensive water demand management are underway, and complemented with the
non-revenue water program, it will lead to reduce water demand and help to address some of the water problems that we are experiencing.
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