Oil spill in Mauritius: one year later, the village of Mahébourg is reinventing itself as best it can
Audio 02:19
The oil spill which hit Mauritius last year marked many inhabitants.
© Getty Images / Franco Origlia
By: Abdoollah Earally Follow
6 mins
The waters have become clear and calm again in the bay of Mahébourg, in the south-east of Mauritius.
This historic village had experienced its worst ecological disaster a year ago, the oil spill caused by the sinking of the
MV Wakashio
.
A year later, the pollution is no longer visible, but life is struggling to find the same animation.
The inhabitants reinvent themselves, like the Baulauck couple, severely affected by the oil spill.
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From our correspondent in Port-Louis,
“
We Mahébourgeois, it hurts our hearts,
” says Davina Baulauck.
She relives the emotions that had frozen her that morning of August 6, last year.
It was, in his words "
an end of the world scene
" in his village on the south-east coast of Mauritius.
As far as the eye could see the sea had turned black.
A tide of tar had replaced the turquoise waters of Mahébourg.
“
It was apocalyptic.
People were everywhere and running in all directions.
Others were in tears.
I was afraid to approach the esplanade.
When I saw the oil spill in front of me, I could no longer stand on my feet, I collapsed in tears,
”she recalls.
Her husband, Christophe, a diving instructor, is still struggling, a year later, to chase these terrible images from his memory.
“A
lot of times when I was at my workplace I was in tears.
It's sad to see all the dead fish, these dead crustaceans like that, because of the incompetence of this ship and the authorities ... It's rage, it's heartbreaking.
There are lots of emotions coming out all the time.
"
► To read also: After the oil spill in Mauritius, concerns for biodiversity
A whole world that has collapsed
A strong emotion had crossed the entire Mauritian population, but for the inhabitants of its coastal villages, a whole world was collapsing. The nourishing sea as much as a space of leisure is their daily life. For the Baulauck family, the consequences are also personal. This couple in their thirties had made their dream come true by opening their diving center. It was only four months before the sinking of the
Wakashio
.
“
At that time, we were really into investing. We had no savings, we had put everything in the center. But after
Wakashio
, spent a few months without activity, it was starting to weigh heavily in the balance, because morally, how are we going to do? When is the lagoon going to reopen? Will we be entitled to activities? What guarantee do we have that Mauritian and foreign customers will come and dive with us? Will it resume? These are stressful days. There are days when I cry at home ...
», Davina laments.
The diving center remains closed.
Because, in addition to oil pollution, the pandemic has paralyzed tourist activities.
Faced with uncertainty, the couple changed their professional register.
Davina exercises his talents in public relations for a humanitarian foundation, and Christophe applies his skills as a handyman in the building industry, without questioning the future.
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