CFLI Project 2018
Adaptation to climate change - improve domestic water supply system by providing potable water storage tanks to coastal communities in Mauritius
It is everyone’s wish to be able to wake up each day and turn on a tap that provides a safe constant source of drinking water.
Unfortunately, this is not the case in nearly 1 billion people who lives without access to potable water with no option to rely on polluted surface and ground water sources. The people often are more prone to be infected by water related diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, cholera and worm infection. According to the WHO, since 1990, around 2 billion people have gained access to an improved sustainable source of water. However, around 800 million people still live without safe drinking water.
The purpose of this project is to set-up a community supply water tank in five coastal villages so as to provide clean drinking water to the whole community including women and children. The tank capacity will depend on the number of inhabitant and will be set-up in the community centres of each respective village. The authority mobile citterns will supply water to these fixed water tanks on a regular basis. EPCO will in parallel organise working session with the inhabitants to explain them not only the importance in wise use of water but also all aspect related to water collection, transportation, use of water containers, contamination and water related diseases.

Goals and Objectives
The goal of the project is to provide the inhabitants especially women and children of these 5 coastal villages with potable water by supplying each village with a water tank in their respective community centres.
The main project activities are:
- Procurement of 5 potable water tanks;
- Preparation of metal frame to support water tank;
- Transportation of metal frame and water tank;
- Fixing water tanks in each village;
- Organise a one-day event in each village centres on the importance of water and its wise use;
- Setting-up of a core group of inhabitants to monitor the project in the long term.
Achievements
The achievements so far are:
- A better storage and distribution of safe potable drinking and cooking water in these 5 coastal villages;
- Five healthy coastal communities which is free from any water related diseases;
- An increase in community knowledge on the importance of water and its wise use;
- The formation of 5 core groups to sustain the project in the long term.
Other benefits include:
- Increase knowledge on the importance of water and its wise use;
- An additional storage of safe potable water;
- A healthier community;
- A better distribution of water with less wastage.
- Sharing of knowledge and lesson learned among youth of each village;
- Networking/communal actions among the different villages;
- Protection and conservation of natural resources;
- Safe guard of property and infrastructure.
