Oil spill in Mauritius: one year later, residents are not reassured
Audio 02:22
Pointe d'Esny, Mauritius, August 2020, the oil spill has endangered Ile aux Aigrettes, a nature reserve.
© RFI / Abdoolah Earally
By: Abdoollah Earally Follow
6 mins
It took five months for the depollution companies to restore the lagoons and beaches of Mauritius.
But the sinking of the
Wakashio made
a
lasting
impression in the villages.
The inhabitants now fear the future risks of this pollution.
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From our correspondent in Port-Louis,
On Mahébourg beach, a few meters from the Fisherman's House, the sea has regained all its beautiful shades of blue and its dream setting.
The ugly Wakashio and the immense pollution it caused are a thing of the past.
A year later, no visible trace of fuel oil pollution.
But for oceanographer Vassen Kauppaymuthoo, it's under the surface that you have to look.
“
The first thing, when we talk about pollution in relation to hydrocarbons, what we are looking for once the visual pollution has disappeared, are the long-term effects.
These hydrocarbons are deposited in the sediments to reach the lower layers
”, explains scientist.
He gave us a demonstration on Mahébourg beach: “
And there, we have a small sandy beach and we can dig in the sand and look here, and there we actually smell an oil smell.
"
► To read also: Oil spill in Mauritius: one year later, the village of Mahébourg is reinventing itself as best it can
A highly toxic fuel
Many observers have drawn the attention of the Mauritian authorities to the nature of the fuel oil which spilled into the sea. A "heavy fuel oil with very low sulfur content", the composition of which is even more toxic.
“
The problem with this petroleum product is very low sulfur heavy fuel oil, which contains a lot of heavy metals such as cadmium and chromium.
It also contains polyaromatic molecules and other molecules that accumulate in organisms,
”warns Vassen Kauppaymuthoo.
Scientists fear the risk of bioaccumulation and their future consequences on public health.
The question of this danger is put to the Minister of the Environment, Kavy Ramano.
“
We are the first to recognize that the environmental impacts are not limited to the visual dimension and that the effects must be seen in the medium and long term.
This is why the Mauritian authorities have commissioned two reports, the “Intregrated Environmental Monitoring Plan”.
There is also the social, economic and cultural impact to be seen,
”he admits.
The fear of pollution of the food chain
In the meantime, some villagers have made a more demanding choice of consumption, such as Christophe, a resident of Mahébourg.
“
We eat fish outside the lagoon, not lagoon peaches.
I do not advise anyone to eat fish that we catch in the lagoon
”, confides this diving instructor.
There is a great risk that insidious pollution creeps up the food chain.
NGOs committed to the preservation of endangered species are closely monitoring the possible impacts.
The Mauritian State, for its part, announces restoration work, without advising against the consumption of local products.
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Mauritius
Pollution