Message from Mr. Didier Dogley, Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change to commemorate the UN World Water Day

Today, we join the rest of the world to commemorate World Water Day.  In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March as World Water Day to increase awareness among the world’s population about the importance of freshwater and to advocate for the sustainable management and use of freshwater resources. The United Nation’s theme for this year is ‘Water and wastewater’.

However, here in Seychelles, we have decided to focus through a weeklong series of events and activities on fresh water management and use.  The main reason for this choice is that demand for treated water, here in Seychelles, is increasing by about 5% annually and at this rate it is not sustainable.  According to experts, with the onslaught of climate change Seychelles will face increasing water stress with rainfall becoming erratic and persistent droughts being the norm.  As a nation we need to prepare for an abnormal rainfall distribution pattern to ensure water security for all.

Two days ago, on Monday the 20^th March, we launched our National Water Campaign, entitled: ‘Water is life –value it’.  The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness nationally about the real value of water and the need to use it sustainably.  The campaign is led by PUC and is a component of the Resource Efficiency Programme under the Project Neptune.  Project Neptune is financed by the Government of Seychelles and co-financed by European Investment Bank (EIB) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) through a loan agreement.  The campaign will run over the next four months and will be reviewed thereafter.   It will make full use of the media to educate and seek engagement from the local population in improving water efficiency and reducing wastage of this valuable natural resource in homes, schools and workplaces.  It will also target the main threats to our water sources such as rivers, wetlands and catchment areas.   Unfortunately, pollution in various forms remain a major source of water contamination and quality degradation.  Once a source of water is polluted; it becomes unavailable and it has to be treated.  More resources will have to be invested in prevention to reduce pollution of our water sources from various economic activities and the greatest scourge of all; littering. 

In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including its 17 sustainable development Goals or SDGs.  SDG 6 on potable water, Sanitation and Hygiene commits governments to ensure universal access to safe and potable water and sanitation for all by 2030.  Although there has been some improvement, according to the United Nations, it is estimated that over 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is contaminated.  Over 650 million people are without a safe water supply close to home and have to rely on untreated water.

In Seychelles, we are fortunate to have almost continuous access to a safe, reliable and affordable supply of potable water.  Today, according to PUC over 97% of households and businesses are connected to its water supply network.  Government plans to exceed the 99% connection target in the near future.  This is because Government considers access to clean drinking water a fundamental human right and has invested significant resources in key water infrastructure to guarantee universal access.  The current investment program for PUC in the water sector exceeds 500 million Seychelles Rupees.  This include the raising of the La Gogue Dam to store more water, which will cost over 300 million Seychelles Rupees.  Treated water supplied by PUC is also heavily subsidized.  Domestic clients of PUC pay less than half the real value of the water per cubic metre for the first 20m³ of water they consume.

My Ministry will continue to assist PUC in its endeavour to promote the tapping and use of other safe sources of water.  We will be launching a national campaign for rainwater harvesting this Friday at an exhibition organized at the National Library.   According to literature, rainwater harvesting has been practiced for more than 4,000 years.  With climate change, on islands and in drier parts of the world, rainwater harvesting is becoming essential owing to the temporal and spatial variability of rainfall and higher temperatures.   Rainwater harvesting is the only source of water for domestic use on some pacific islands and is still very popular in the Caribbean.  It is an alternative free and safe source of water that can be utilized for flushing toilets, watering gardens and washing cars instead of using treated potable water.  This has many benefits including economic ones and in enhancing water security at a domestic level.  The Department of Environment in collaboration with PUC will be launching a soft loan scheme to facilitate investments in rainwater harvesting and also make available technical drawings and physical examples of how these can be achieved.  More information will be made available at the exhibition and soon through the management of PUC.

We will also explore the use of groundwater as a potable water source.  Many of us know that in many countries, including in Mauritius, groundwater which filters naturally through the ground is used.  Work in this area is progressing well and we should have concrete information on its availability and quality within the first half of this year.

Given that water is a finite resource, we need to ensure that we all use it sustainably.  Let us appreciate its value and the important role it plays in our lives.  Water is the essential building block of life.  Without water, life does not exist and real meaningful development cannot take place.  Water is at the core of sustainable development.

Let us reflect and take positive action towards making Seychelles a water-secure country.