Mauritius CWA Needs to Replace 1,500 km of Ageing Pipes

Mauritius's Central Water Authority (CWA) — the state body responsible for water production and distribution across the island — is facing a staggering infrastructure challenge: approximately 1,500 kilometres of water pipes need to be replaced, according to a report by Le Défi Media. To put that figure in perspective, 1,500 km is roughly equivalent to laying a new pipeline from Mauritius all the way to Madagascar and back. The sheer scale of the replacement task underscores how deeply the island's water network has aged and deteriorated over decades of use. **Why This Matters** Ageing and damaged pipes are directly linked to one of the CWA's most persistent and costly problems: non-revenue water (NRW). This is water that is produced and pumped into the network but never reaches — or is billed to — consumers. It is lost through leaks, bursts, and illegal connections along the way. High NRW means the CWA spends money treating and pumping water that simply disappears underground, making an already difficult financial situation even worse. The authority is currently carrying a deficit of Rs 754 million and loans totalling Rs 3.46 billion, leaving little room to fund the kind of large-scale capital works that pipe replacement demands. **A Network Under Pressure** Mauritius residents — particularly those in rural and highland areas — are no strangers to water cuts and low-pressure supply, especially during dry seasons. While some of this is due to rainfall variability, a significant part of the problem stems from infrastructure that simply cannot reliably move water from reservoirs and treatment plants to homes and businesses. The CWA serves the entire island's population of roughly 1.3 million people, as well as the tourism and industrial sectors. Any failure in the network has immediate knock-on effects on daily life, agriculture, and the economy. **What This Means for Mauritius** Replacing 1,500 km of pipes is not a project that can be completed quickly or cheaply. Such an undertaking would require sustained government funding, international financing, and years of coordinated civil works — all while keeping the existing network running. The revelation adds urgency to calls from opposition politicians and civil society for a clear, funded roadmap to modernise the CWA's infrastructure. Opposition leader Paul Bérenger has previously called on the minister responsible for the CWA to act decisively on the crisis. Without significant investment, Mauritius risks worsening water insecurity at a time when climate change is already making rainfall patterns less predictable — a serious concern for a small island nation. Source: Le Défi Media