Mauritius News Digest July
Written by Editor Tuesday, 12 July 2011 13:29
Permanent dam on Rivière du Poste
Government is planning the construction of a permanent dam on Rivière du Poste, which will feed the Mare aux Vacoas reservoir.
At present a temporary dam is feeding around 6,000 metre cubes of water from the river. The water is pumped daily into Pradier Canal, which converges directly into Mare aux Vacoas.
The proposed dam will be 16 metres high and 225 metres wide. In the event of Rivière du Poste being flooded, all the water will automatically be directed to the Mare aux Vacoas reservoir.
The construction work will start at the end of the year. Several other projects such as the construction of a 5.2 kilometre pipeline to feed Mare aux Vacoas with water from Mare Longue reservoir.
Work is expected to end in September 2011.
Commercial Park Circle Square in the north
The commercial park, is a project of the Indian Ocean Real Estate Company (IOREC), which will be situated at Forbach. It will consist of six distinct sections namely the Motor City, Home Scene, Wellness Arena, Retail Park, Leisure Zone and Business Esplanade.
The first phase of construction consisting of the Motor City and the Home Scene will be ready in May 2012 while the second one, which will start in September is scheduled for October 2012.
The Circle Square project is in collaboration with GML and Actis, both shareholders of IOREC, the Ministry of Finance and the District Council of Pamplemousses-Rivière du Rempart.
IRS-designed residential town near Roches Noires
The Indian Ocean Real Estate Company (IOREC) has proposed the construction of a residential town, the Haut Rive project, on the north eastern coast, near Roches Noires.
The project will be launched in September and will be the first of its kind in Mauritius. The town will offer 400 residential units which will be available to potential local and: international buyers, allying local housing with the Integrated Resort Scheme.
The village will be anchored by a five-star hotel at its very centre. The Haute Rive project, as it is called, will take 10 years to complete and IOREC plans to invest 1.5 billion dollars.
The construction work for the first phase is expected to start in March 2012 and will be completed in 2013. The hotel will be managed by Thailand’s Centara Hotels and Resorts. The project is in collaboration with IOREC’s partners, Actis and Groupe Mon Loisir of Mauritius.
Former MBC headquarters to house ILO regional office
A section of the former headquarters of the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) will house the Regional Documentation and Research Centre of the International Labour Office.
This centre will provide education, training and documentation and on-line information access to all employers, employees and students of the region.
‘We plant we eat’ contest launched
Solidarity Foundation of Food and Allied group is organising a vegetable-garden competition with the support of the Agricultural Research and Extension Unit (AREU). This will be launched on July 20 and will go on for three months.
The theme is ‘We plant, we eat’. The project aims at raising public awareness on home-grown products. The competition is open to all Mauritians except experts in the sector.
Three categories are being proposed, namely existing gardens, new gardens and roof, potted or balcony gardens.
Household budget survey for 2012
The household budget survey will be conducted from January to l December 2012 under the provisions of the Statistics Act.
The survey aims to collect information on the consumption pattern of the population with a view to updating the basket of 11 goods and services used to compute the consumer price index.
Energy action plan before EC
An updated action plan for energy 2011-2025 will be submitted to the European Commission (EC) in the context of the disbursement of funds under the general budget support programme.
The plan provides for the setting up of institutions such as an observatory for energy, mechanisms for capacity building, measures to increase energy efficiency and the renewable energy development plan.
Model dairy farm to be set up soon
In line with the government programme 2010-2015, a model dairy farm will be set up for the benefit of registered cow breeders’ cooperatives.
They should have a proven track record in livestock development to showcase modern breeding techniques, boost milk production and enhance food security.
Singapore offers free expertise on water
The government has approved that the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and Public Utilities Board will be appointed to develop an integrated water management framework in Mauritius. This is with a view to achieve 24/7 potable water supply, reduce non-revenue water, and develop a plan to meet increasing and changing demands.
No fee is being paid for this vital exercise. This is one of the results of Prime Minister Dr Navin Ramgoolam’s visit to Singapore in September 2010 and the high level talks he had with the Singapore authorities.
The concerned ministry approached the Singapore Co-operation Enterprise and Public Utilities Board to assist them to improve the management of water services. During President of Singapore S.R. Nathan’s recent visit to Mauritius, the issue of water was yet on the agenda.
Breast cancer unit set up at Victoria Hospital
In a bid to step up efforts to fight cancer, the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life will soon set up a health centre for breast cancer patients at Victoria Hospital, Candos.
The ministry is also planning to launch several other measures in accordance with the National Cancer Control Programme and Action Plan 2010-2014. The new centre will offer specialised services to women, including early diagnosis, treatment for benign breast diseases, mammography screening and percutaneous biopsies.
These recommendations were made by professor Georges Vlastos, a renowned breast cancer surgeon from University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland.
85-km green trail at Les Gorges
Forests are under the spotlight ever since 2011 was declared the International Year of Forests by the United Nations to raise awareness and strengthen sustainable forest management.
By the end of this year, the Black River Gorges National Park, which hosts some of the rarest trees in the world, will be equipped with a 85-km trail to promote awareness about forest conservation.
The national park is managed by the National Parks and Conservation Service (NPCS) of the Ministry of Agro- Industry and Food Security.
New building for hawkers in Port Louis
The Municipal Council of Port Louis is redoubling its efforts to gather street hawkers operating in the capital under a single roof and ensuring that they operate in the best possible conditions.
The lord mayor, Mahmade Khodabaccus, announced the construction of a modern two storey building which would house up to 400 hawkers. He said that a plot of land has already been identified near the Life Insurance Corporation of India building at John Kennedy Street, Port Louis.
The proposal has already been sent to the procurement board and once approved, the tenders will be launched.. If everything goes as planned, construction work will start around August or September.”
Hyder Raman, president of the Street Vendors Association (SVA), said he welcomes this initiative.
The Municipality of Port Louis has been able to find the necessary funding for the project estimated at Rs 30 million.
Winner of Pan African contest to witness satellite launch in France
DStv Eutelsat Star Awards, a Pan-African student competition targeting students aged from 14 to 19 years in 42 African countries inc1uding Mauritius, was launched on Wednesday 22 June.
The final competition will be arbitrated by an international jury which will meet on September 12 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The winner will be offered a trip to France to assist the live launch of a satellite. The competition is a joint initiative of France-based satellite provider Eutelsat and MultiChoice Africa, a multi-channel pay television in Africa.
Young Mauritians are invited to write an essay or design a poster reflecting how satellites could further support the development of the community, the country or the entire African continent. The winner of the competition will witness the launch of a satellite in France.
The project is supported by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources. The jury arbitrating the competition at the national level will consist of Bernard Li Kwong Ken of Bel Ombre Foundation for Empowerment, Finlay Salesse from Radio One, director of Vitiro Ltd Roselys Collard and Pascale Ng from the Independent Broadcasting Authority.
