
by Ann Brown
November 19, 2023
Nestled between Mozambique and Madagascar lies Mayotte, a French territory going through an unprecedented water disaster.
Within the picturesque Indian Ocean, nestled between Mozambique and the island of Madagascar lies Mayotte, a French territory going through an unprecedented water disaster. With a inhabitants of round 310,000 folks, Mayotte is coping with one of many worst droughts in its historical past.
Mayotte is now grappling with its worst drought since 1997, a disaster exacerbated by two water reservoirs which have reached important ranges, one at a mere 7% of capability and the opposite at 6%, CNN reported.
In response to Al Jazeera, Mayotte is the poorest place within the European Union. The disaster has sparked protests and residents calling for France to do extra.
Mayotte was colonized by France in 1841, the island was formally acknowledged as a French division in 2011. Mayotte is legally a French abroad division. Abroad departments (DOM) are territorial authorities built-in into the French Republic in the identical capability because the departments and areas in Metropolitan France. Mayotte has the identical standing because the 96 departments on the French mainland and is topic to French regulation and governance.
In response to the disaster, the French authorities has shipped 600,000 liters of bottled water to the island, deployed troops and civil servants for water distribution, and suspended water payments for all residents. Nonetheless, many Mahorais, because the island’s inhabitants are identified, are complaining that they really feel deserted by the authorities.
“The authorities appear absent in our day by day struggling,” Douainda Attoumani, 27, instructed CNN. Her family has 10 folks–her dad and mom, her sister, 4 brother, and two cousins. She requested, “When we have now no water, what are we really going to do? We’re going to die of thirst.”