Decreasing Water Reserves: The Country Under Pressure
The Mare-aux-Vacoas reservoir is only 51% full, compared to the usual 85% for this time of year. Distribution restrictions are set to be announced in the coming days, as rain is not expected before November.
While it is not yet a disaster, the warning signs are accumulating. Since the beginning of the year, Mauritius has experienced successive and severe rainfall deficits. February 2026 is among the driest months in over a century. Lormus Jugoo from the Water Resources Unit does not mince words: "This year, the heavy rains that should have replenished our reservoirs and aquifers did not occur."
And worse may be on the horizon: "As winter approaches, rain will be scarce, and we will have to wait until around November for more favorable rainfall," he warned. In other words, the current reserves will need to last several months without significant natural replenishment. This scenario raises fears of a repeat of 2025, when most reservoirs reached critical levels.
The consequences are already measurable. On Monday, the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Patrick Assirvaden, visited the Mare-aux-Vacoas reservoir, which supplies the Hautes Plaines-Wilhems to Rose-Hill, as well as some areas in the South, and found it at 51% capacity, nearly 34 points below the seasonal norm. This drop directly affects thousands of households.
At the end of his visit, he urged the Water Resources Commission and the Central Water Authority to promptly develop a restriction plan. "We need to implement restrictions. We cannot continue business as usual when the country's largest reservoir is in this state," he warned.
He announced two distinct measures: on one hand, imminent restrictions in water distribution, with reduced supply hours in certain areas; on the other, specific measures aimed at limiting waste, in a context where demand remains high in several sectors.
The stakes are concrete and quantifiable. Maintaining the current distribution volume would lead the reservoir to show only 22-23% of its capacity by June, a threshold below which pumping would become technically impossible, as accumulated sludge and sediment at the bottom would render water extraction out of reach. "It's not just about avoiding waste; we have the responsibility to manage (the amount of water) to the maximum," the minister insisted, calling any scenario that allows the reservoir to empty "irresponsible."
Double Vulnerability
What the "drought" alone does not fully explain is the structural fragility of the network that overlays it. The general director of the Central Water Authority, Shyam Thanoo, does not mince words: "The rains have not been beneficial, certainly, but we have another concern." He explicitly points to pressure on water reserves combined with the vulnerability of the distribution system itself. His pumps depend on electricity provided by the CEB from heavy oil.
"With the current energy crisis, it should not be forgotten that our pumps rely on heavy oil from the CEB, even though there is currently no breakdown," he noted. An energy failure could thus instantly exacerbate an already developing water crisis.
The combination of these three factors – rainfall deficit, declining reserves, and network vulnerability – places Mauritius in a delicate situation as the dry season approaches. Without significant improvement in weather conditions in the coming months, water management could become an even more critical issue. Facing this triple constraint, Shyam Thanoo calls for collective awareness: "The public must show understanding and avoid waste." It is not yet an emergency plan, but it is more than a warning.
Desalination: The Rodriguan Solution for Mauritius
In parallel with emergency measures, the government is exploring long-term solutions to secure water supply. Among them, desalination is gaining traction.
Minister Patrick Assirvaden recently visited Rodrigues to study projects developed on the sister island. At Pointe Cotton, he observed the existing infrastructure and was impressed by its effectiveness. The government is considering setting up desalination units in the North of Mauritius, a region particularly exposed to shortages. This area heavily depends on limited infrastructure, which exacerbates its vulnerability during droughts.
Technical studies have already been conducted to assess needs and available options. The goal is to diversify supply sources and reduce dependence on rainfall, which has become increasingly irregular. For the minister, "there is no reason that what works in Rodrigues cannot be adapted to Mauritius."
Low Rainfall or Drought?
Mauritius has missed the rainy season. And as is the case every winter, the expected rainfall over the coming months will not be sufficient to fill the reservoirs. However, a source within the MMS wants to clarify a significant nuance: Mauritius is not going through a period of "drought" per se, but a period of low rainfall. "It rains regularly in different regions, but it is hardly enough to fill the reservoirs," our contact explains. In meteorological terms, several types of drought exist: meteorological drought, agricultural drought, and socio-economic drought. Thus, even if the country has not received the necessary amount of rain, it has still rained. Therefore, Mauritius is experiencing an "economic drought."
