Japanese Grant For The Environment: Rs 100 Million For Training And Rehabilitation Of Beaches

The Ministry of the Environment intends to conduct a survey of key stakeholders in the coastal zone to determine who are the people who will need to be trained. "We already allocate a portion of that money to better support staff National Coast Guard (NCG), this in order to rehabilitate coastal areas ", says an officer of the Environment.

"Many people are active in coastal areas, fishermen, sailors, boaters and others, and in many cases many of them lack the proper training and ultimately our seas are paying the price. We will therefore invest heavily in training, "he says.

Second concern: the erosion. "With the rising sea, erosion becomes a problem more seriously, and that the tourism sector is now paying the price. We will look very quickly and the redevelopment of the beaches, "says our interlocutor.

In this regard, the oceanographer Vassen Kaupaymootoo emits strong misgivings, because he believes the redevelopment of the beach does not mean anything. "Nonsensical," said he. He said the Ministry of the Environment has on several occasions in the past tried to solve the problem of erosion, only to fail to much.

"I remember we had used for planting casuarina plants to prevent erosion only to find that these trees encourage further erosion. Then they decided to turn to the gabions, but the authorities were quickly retracted because it was a danger to the public, "he says. According to oceanographer, a redevelopment of the beaches must first be in-depth studies. "Such a decision is not taken on a whim," suggests he.

A fully share the opinion that the former director of the Department of the Environment from 1998 to 2003, Tiberman Ramyead. For him, this is not the first time that the Mauritian government benefits from the generosity of the Japanese government. "And yet I have never seen good progress," said he. Commenting on the redevelopment of the beaches, he argues that such action first requires the installation of a pilot project. "It's that simple. Just set one kilometer of beach, and so to track, and then pass on the positive findings on our beaches. Only in this way we can really find solutions to the erosion problem, "said he.

Tiberman Ramyead also adds that training is a subject on which the MOE should seriously consider. "You realize that this ministry does not even have a coastal engineer. How to ensure proper management of our coasts in such conditions,"asks he.