Beach of Bain Boeuf Restored Soon

An extensive program of rehabilitation will be undertaken soon. Rs 70 million will be disbursed to realize several projects. A sum of Rs 13.5 million is needed to Le Morne beach, Rs 4.5 million for La Prairie, Rs 12 million for Four Sisters and on La Preneuse, the amount has not yet been evaluated. The biggest project at a cost of Rs 46.7 million, will be executed in Baie-du-Cap. Meanwhile, small-scale rehabilitation of beaches will be undertaken across the country. Work is currently underway at Quatre-Sœurs and Deux Frères.

The rehabilitation of beaches will be intensified in 2014 and a sum of Rs 70 million will be required. At Grand-Sable, the work will cost Rs 4.5 million, Rs 12 million in Pointe-du-Diable, Rs 20 million for the range of Bois-des-Amourettes.

Find more effective methods of protection

Natural phenomena, the rapid development of coastal buildings near coastal regions and the extraction of sand from the lagoon are the main causes of beach erosion. Filling work, the establishment of gabions, installing spikes, construction coating walls, removal of casuarinas, among other measures are taken to prevent beach erosion.

In addition, the installation of gabions on the beach did not give the expected results, says it does the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. This type of protection is not suitable for public beaches because many people go to the sea every weekend.

The most famous cases are those of Flic-en-Flac and Rivière-des-rollers. It should find other more effective methods of protection such as stone cladding, as recommended in the report Bairds, or development of artificial surf.

In addition, climate change and rising sea levels resulting from this phenomenon accentuate beach erosion and thus must take urgent action. The short-term measures taken to protect and restore the beaches are not a sustainable solution to fight against the movement of the waves and tsunamis.

According to the program of adaptation to climate change in the Ministry of Environment, we must find other better solutions such as the installation of breakwaters in the lagoon and the restoration of the coral reef.

Construction of breakwater will require, first, in-depth study and implementation of a program of capacity building. The training should focus on the assessment and project design protection procedures. Thus, Mauritius will find help from countries that have the necessary experience in this field.