Patrick Assirvaden: 'Everyone Is Forced to Buy a Water Tank' in Mauritius

Opposition politician Patrick Assirvaden has issued a blunt assessment of Mauritius's deepening water crisis, saying the situation has become so severe that ordinary residents across the island have no choice but to purchase private water storage tanks just to get by. "Tou dimoune oblize met enn tank" — Mauritian Creole for "Everyone is forced to put in a tank" — was Assirvaden's pointed summary of a crisis that has been grinding on for months, leaving households, businesses, and communities frustrated with unreliable supply schedules from the Central Water Authority (CWA), the state body responsible for water distribution in Mauritius. **Who is Patrick Assirvaden?** Assirvaden is a member of the Mauritian Parliament representing the opposition. He has been among the more vocal critics of the government's handling of the water supply crisis, which has seen rationing, lengthy cut-off periods, and public protests in several parts of the country, including Phoenix and Clairfonds. **What is driving the crisis?** Mauritius is currently in the grip of a serious water shortage driven by a combination of factors: below-average rainfall, ageing infrastructure with significant pipe leakage losses, and reservoirs running at critically low levels. Recent data showed national reservoir levels sitting at around 35.9% of capacity — well below what is needed to guarantee normal supply. The rainy season, which could bring relief, is still months away. The CWA has responded with a rationing system, cutting water supply to many areas on a rotating schedule — sometimes for 12 to 24 hours or more at a stretch. For many families, this has made daily life difficult, forcing them to store water in buckets, drums, or purpose-built tanks. **The tank problem** Assirvaden's comment highlights a growing inequality embedded in the crisis. Installing a proper water storage tank — large enough to buffer a household through a 24-hour or longer cut — costs money that not every family has. For those who can afford it, a tank is a practical solution. For lower-income households, it is yet another financial pressure in an environment already squeezed by inflation. The remark also carries a political sting: if the state water authority cannot guarantee supply, residents are effectively being forced to privately finance a workaround to a public infrastructure failure. **What this means** The water crisis in Mauritius is no longer just a utility issue — it has become a political flashpoint. Opposition MPs like Assirvaden are using it to press the government on infrastructure investment, CWA management, and long-term water security planning. Meanwhile, residents remain caught between a stretched public system and the cost of private solutions. With reservoir levels low and rains still weeks away, pressure on the government to act — and to communicate clearly — is unlikely to ease soon. Source: Le Defi Media