A torrential Rain Warning Bulletin for Mauritius issued at 16.30 hours on Saturday 02 April 2022. As per a communique from the weather station of Vacoas, our region remains under the influence of active clouds giving sporadic heavy showers and thunderstorms at times. The heavy showers are causing severe water accumulation in flood prone areas. Given that the soil is already saturated with water from rainfall since the previous day, rivers and other water courses will overflow with high risk of local flooding or flash flood.
Some of the highest rainfall figures recorded during the past 12 hours are as follows:
- Mare aux Vacoas : 96 mm
- Mon Bois : 114 mm
- Riche-en-Eau : 66 mm
- Providence : 68 mm
- Rivière des Anguilles : 77 mm
- St-Felix : 143 mm
- Wooton : 80 mm
The intensity of the heavy showers will start to decrease as from tomorrow morning. It is expected that the weather will improve gradually as from tomorrow afternoon. However, the rivers and other water courses will remain flooded.
The firefighters had to intervene about twenty times this Saturday morning – between 8am and 10am – to evacuate water accumulations in several localities. According to NEOC communications officer Pravind Rughoo, “they were all linked to water accumulations in houses, courtyards and on roads in the south and on the central plateau.” Patrols also crisscross risk areas.
The south of the island has been submerged by water following heavy showers that hit the island on Saturday. The owners of a cornfield and other plantations no longer know where to turn. They despair in front of their completely flooded field and say “they don’t know what to do” in the face of this situation.
The village of Bois-Chéri was not spared by heavy showers. several houses have been flooded since this morning. The village president says that every time during heavy rains, it is the same situation in the village. Rissy Kumar Girdhari also deplores “the slowness of the authorities to remedy this situation”.
The public is advised to:
- Remain in safe places and avoid open areas, hikings, sea ventures and sheltering under trees during thunderstorms.
- Avoid places prone to water accumulation, river banks and other water courses which are flooded and certain mountain slopes prone to landslide
- Be very cautious on the roads due to reduced visibility resulting from heavy rains and fog patches.
