PUC launches national water campaign |21 March 2017
‘Water is life ‒ Value it’
Reducing our water footprint will go a long way in preserving and maintaining the water demand which is projected to rise by 5% annually over the coming two decades.
Launching its national water campaign under the theme ‘Water is Life – Value it’ yesterday morning at the National Library building, the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) believes more must be done to encourage the wise use of water across the country.
Present for the launch ceremony were Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Didier Dogley; Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine Minister Maurice Loustau-Lalanne; Fisheries and Agriculture Minister Michael Benstrong; leader of government business in the National Assembly Charles Decommarmond; PUC board chairperson Eddie Belle; PUC chief executive Philippe Morin and his deputy Joel Valmont; members of the National Assembly, PUC staff and other guests.
Minister Dogley said water is a key resource vital for the socio-economic development of all communities and countries, and it is for this reason that early human civilisations started around major rivers and water bodies.
“Getting to know the true value of water should become everybody’s business. Hence the need for a national campaign which focuses on an important theme: ‘Water is Life – Value it’,” said Minister Dogley.
He added that the aim of the campaign is to inform and educate customers about responsible water resource management by sharing information on ways to reduce water consumption and wastage.
During the campaign, which took shape under the Resource Efficiency Programme of Seychelles which forms part of a broader water and sanitation programme ‒ Project Neptune ‒ being jointly financed by the European Investment Bank, Agence Française de Dévéloppement and PUC, members of the public will be apprised of how the water supply and distribution system functions, how they can reduce their water use and also reduce their water bill.
The minister noted that in Seychelles we have been blessed with sufficient annual rainfall although its distribution throughout the year is irregular, adding that according to latest climate change reports in the future Seychelles will receive most of its rain during extreme weather events with drought periods becoming more pronounced and persistent.
“This requires a new way of thinking and approach to the management and use of water resources across the country with the active participation of everyone,” said Minister Dogley who added that despite the fact that PUC’s potable water network coverage has reached 97% of the population, he has asked the corporation to conduct a survey to identify the areas and communities that are not connected to its water distribution network on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.
“Once we have the information we will draft a plan to accelerate the connection of new homes to the network. This will greatly contribute to Seychelles meeting the Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water, sanitation and hygiene and also exceed the 99% target in the very near future. We have already achieved this with electricity supply and therefore I do not see any reason why we cannot do the same for water. In achieving these targets the government would have met its socio-economic development goals of providing a reliable and affordable supply of electricity and potable water to all its citizens,” said Minister Dogley.
The minister pointed out that as more homes are connected to the network, PUC has to increase the amount of water it collects from new and additional sources of water that have remained untapped so far ‒ from rivers and underground ‒ to reduce our dependence on desalinated water during dry periods.
Over the past five years, PUC has invested R500 million in upgrading and developing its water infrastructure, this includes the removal of old pipes, the raising of the La Gogue dam, the building of new storage systems, upgrading and extending the water network and maintenance of existing infrastructure.
The minister added that it is hoped the campaign on the true value of water can resonate paradigm-shifting ways of thinking in our people, especially our youth.
“We believe that if correctly valued, water will be correctly managed in our schools, our homes, our offices and our country. Together, and with this campaign as a catalyst, we can all contribute towards a water-secure Seychelles for all,” said Minister Dogley.
PUC’s managing director for water and sewerage Steve Mussard said the main factors contributing to the rising water demand here are growth in population, rapid development and rising standard of living.
“There is growing evidence that in spite of the massive ongoing investment programme currently in execution in the water utility infrastructure in our country, demand may become unsustainable.
“A new approach to water management is therefore necessary to increase available water supply, which involves water conservation, increased water use efficiency, and more efficient water supply systems. Implying that we need to put more emphasis on managing water demand by best utilising the water that is already available,” said Mr Mussard.
During the ceremony, the guests were able to view an exhibition and new advertisement produced by PUC to get people to better understand the need to preserve water.
