Mauritius 'Zero Water Day' Could Hit by 29 November 2026

Mauritius is facing a worsening water crisis, with modelling based on current reservoir levels and daily consumption suggesting the island could reach a "Zero Water Day" — the point at which usable reserves run dry — around 29 November 2026. **How the 51-day countdown is calculated** The projection is built on three key figures: - **Starting stock:** 51 million cubic metres (m³) — the estimated gross volume held across Mauritius's seven main reservoirs as of 9 October 2026, out of a total combined capacity of 92.2 million m³. - **Inaccessibility threshold:** A 20% reserve floor for each reservoir, below which water cannot practically be extracted. - **Daily outflow:** 635,000 m³ per day in net consumption. Applying these assumptions, the usable water supply would be exhausted in approximately 51 days — pointing to around 29 November 2026 as the critical date. **Where the reservoirs stand today** According to a table attributed to the Water Resources Commission (WRC) — the government body responsible for managing the island's water resources — the seven main reservoirs held 55.05 million m³ on 29 September 2026, representing 59.7% of total gross capacity. The situation at Mare-aux-Vacoas, Mauritius's largest reservoir and the primary source of drinking water for much of the island, is particularly alarming. On 6 October 2026, it stood at just 35.9% capacity — compared to 88.6% at the same date in 2025. That is a year-on-year drop of more than 50 percentage points. **Production already being cut** The government confirmed on 8 October that the La Marie water treatment plant — one of the island's main production facilities, located in the central highlands — had been forced to reduce output from approximately 110,000 m³ per day to just 56,000 m³ per day. That represents a cut of nearly 50% in production from a single facility. **What this means** The "Zero Water Day" scenario does not necessarily mean taps run completely dry on that date. It represents the point at which reservoirs fall below the minimum operational threshold — after which the Central Water Authority (CWA), the state utility responsible for water distribution, would have no viable source left to draw from under normal operations. In practice, long before that date, rationing would intensify, scheduled cuts would lengthen, and pressure across the pipe network would fall further. Hospitals, hotels, households and businesses — particularly those without private storage tanks — would be most exposed. The projection also assumes no significant rainfall in the coming weeks. Any meaningful rain, particularly over the central plateau catchment areas that feed Mare-aux-Vacoas and other reservoirs, could push the Zero Water Day back. Conversely, continued dry conditions could accelerate the timeline. Mauritius typically relies on the southern hemisphere summer (November onwards) to replenish its reservoirs. Whether the rains arrive in time — and in sufficient volume — now represents one of the most consequential questions facing the island. Source: ION News