On La Reunion Island, the east of the island has traditionally been the country’s water tower. Frequent and abundant rainfall was the norm, particularly at higher altitudes. But since September 13, the French water company in Salazie has been announcing daily water cuts for several weeks: between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., i.e. 7 hours a day. Apart from the cuts, the usual flow rate will not be guaranteed. Salazie has historically been one of the most watered areas in the country.
But in recent years, the climate has changed on La Reunion Island. Drought has set in, and the east of the island no longer receives as much rainwater as it used to.
Meanwhile, La Réunion’s population continues to grow, and water consumption follows the same trend. This is facilitated by the importation of the French water distribution and purification system to La Réunion Island. This import generates substantial profits for companies, particularly French ones, who share what is considered a market.
In just a few decades, La Réunion has gone from a model of sobriety to a model of wasting water, a resource that is essential to life.

Consequence of importing the French system

The consequence of importing the French system is that drinking water is no longer used just for drinking, but for all purposes: excreta disposal, floor cleaning, car washing, watering gardens, cleaning yards and sidewalks, filling swimming pools... Before reaching the tap, water is made potable in a plant. Between the plant and the tap, there are often several kilometers of pipes. At least 30% of the water is lost in these pipes. If this happened in one of La Réunion’s neighboring countries, some people wouldn’t hesitate to talk about pirate connections or water detour. But the reality is that such a network is difficult to maintain, and leaks are complicated to plug. The water lost in the pipes is nevertheless billed to the consumer. Consumers not only pay for drinking water, but also for the treatment of this once-only drinking water. They pay for the treatment plants that filter the water before discharging it into the sea.
The importation of the French system has led to the installation of several drinking water points in a house or apartment, including in gardens and courtyards. This ease of use opens the door to all kinds of waste. All the more so as the climate on La Reunion Island is warmer than in France. The imported system therefore automatically generates higher consumption than in its country of origin.

The equivalent of 36 20-kilo cans of water every day for a family of 4.

On average, daily consumption in La Réunion is estimated at 180 liters of drinking water per person. Taking into account losses in the pipes, the needs created by the imported system lead to the production of around 250 liters of drinking water per person per day. This is undoubtedly a record in Africa. Imagine that these 180 liters of water represent 9 cans of 20 kilos of water for one person every day. For a family of 4, that would be 36 20-kilo cans to carry every day. This gives an idea of the scale of the waste.
In fact, the daily needs of a human being are estimated at 2 liters per person. The other 178 liters are therefore a waste. But it is this waste that is the business of the companies, notably French, that control water distribution and treatment in La Réunion.

Possible to act before conflicts arise between users

La Reunion Island is one of the countries with the highest rainfall in the world. But the free water that falls from the sky runs off parking lots and roads, and is hardly ever reclaimed.
Yet rainwater can be used for everything except drinking. It can also be used for cooking, provided it is boiled.
In the Comoros, water that runs off roofs is stored in a tank under the house. All you have to do is lift a lid in the ground to get free water for everything except drinking. It’s like having a well right under your house.
On the scale of our country, the construction of hillside reservoirs at altitude is a solution long proposed by the Reunionese Communist Party. This would mean considerable volumes of free water that could be used for agriculture and all other purposes except drinking. This water will not be a drain on current resources, it will be a bonus.
These two examples require far less investment than the more than 500 million euros that the taxpayers of La Reunion and other countries will have to pay over the next few years to the companies operating the water networks to build new potabilization plants and purification stations, and rehabilitate old ones and leaky water pipes. They show that it is possible to challenge the imported system. The risk of conflict between users of a resource that has become scarcer calls for action.

M.M.