The construction of a dam on Riviere du Poste was announced

Deputy prime minister Dr Rashid Beebeejaun, announced the construction of a dam on Riviere du Poste, which will feed the Mare aux Vacoas reservoir. The announcement was made during a site visit to Mare aux Vacoas on Thursday.

Beebeejaun said, “We set up a temporary dam here last month. Around 6,000 metre cubes of water from the river are being pumped daily into Pradier Canal, which converges directly into Mare aux Vacoas. Also, geological tests are being carried out on the nature of the land here.”

The minister informed that the dam will be 16 metres high and 225 metres wide. “In the event of Riviere du Poste being flooded, all the water will automatically be directed to the Mare aux Vacoas reservoir. The construction work will start at the end of the year,” added Beebeejaun.

He also announced the arrival of Singapore Water Enterprise experts to provide guidance and solutions on the crisis.

“People must realise that this is a problem we are facing, and not bearing with. Even though Mare aux Vacoas is an isolated case, since other reservoirs of the island currently contain around three quarters of their storage capacity, water remains a priority irrespective of rain or no rain,” he added.

This project is collaboration between the Central Water Authority, the Water Resources Unit and the Central Electricity Board.

Several other projects such as the construction of a 5.2 kilometre pipeline to feed Mare aux Vacoas with water from the Mare Longue reservoir for the efficient management of the water, are also underway. Work is expected to end in September 2011.

In addition, as a temporary measure, small dams have been built on Riviere Sèche and Rivière Rempart .

The water is being pumped and diverted to La Marie treatment plant. As a cautionary measure, Mare aux Vacoas’s supplying capacity has been kept at a reduced rate of 60,000 metre cubes daily.