Since yesterday evening, 7.30 pm, a torrential rain warning is in force in Mauritius. It was maintained this morning by the Vacoas weather station. However, this time, the National Crisis Committee, after consultation with the Prime Minister, decided to come with a new measure. Hence, any individual, if not an employee of an essential service, faces a fine not exceeding Rs 100,000 and a jail term not exceeding two years is found on the streets. The decision was published in the Official Gazette on Friday. It is valid from 6 am tomorrow, Saturday.
During the last 12 hours, it is Wooton that has recorded the highest rainfall, 188 mm. Belle-Mare followed with 157 mm of rain. But the weather station in Vacoas said that from 10pm yesterday to 10am this Friday, more than 100mm of rain was recorded in several places. The bad weather is expected to continue until Sunday, said forecaster Avinash Dookhee. However, these are the figures given by the weather service at 10.30am.
It is worth noting that many rivers are in flood after the heavy rains that have fallen on the island. There are many cases of water accumulation. In fact, several roads were impassable for part of the day on Friday. However, the authorities quickly remedied the situation, even if it required some diversions. The most surprising case was the section of the motorway between Place d’Armes and Caudan.
As a result of the heavy rainfall, several households were left without electricity. In Calebasses and Arsenal, about 150 homes were affected. This was reportedly due to the fall of an electricity pylon in Jin Fei on Friday morning. In the other regions, there were isolated cases of power cuts.
It should also be noted that at around 7am on Friday morning, 181 people were in the various refuge centres. The largest number is in Bambous. As of Friday morning, the community centre in this western region had received 87 people. In second place was the community centre in Tranquebar, where 58 people had taken refuge. 23 were at the centre in Cité la Cure and 13 in Pointe-aux-Sables.
It was also announced that firefighters had responded to 42 incidents across the island overnight. The majority of these were for waterlogging and road blockages. Other interventions took place to help motorists trapped by rising waters.
Après l’accalmie de la pluie aux alentours de 13 heures ce vendredi 27 janvier. Plusieurs routes qui étaient fermées à la circulation ont été rouvertes après que les eaux ont été évacuées. Dans région Port-Louis et Rivière-Noire, une centaine de personnes, se sont réfugiées dans des centres communautaires.
Ce vendredi matin 27 janvier, des policiers de la force régulière et ceux de la Special Mobile Force ont effectué plus d’une soixantaine d’intervention dans les régions suivantes, Flic en Flac, Candos Quatre-Bornes, NHDC Gros Cailloux, Petite-Rivière, Vieux Grand Port, Le Morne, Port-Louis, Vallée des Prêtres, Sainte-Croix et Cité La Cure.
Areas that received heavy rainfall in the last 12 hours up to 10am:
- Wooton: 188 mm
- Belle-Mare: 157 mm
- Nouvelle-Découverte: 135 mm
- Vacoas: 132 mm
- Quatre-Bornes: 130 mm
- Chitrakoot: 130 mm
- Queen-Victoria: 123 mm
- Moka: 111 mm
- Port-Louis (Champ de Mars): 104 mm
- Beau-Bassin: 103 mm
- Mon-Bois: 96 mm
- Riche-en-Eau: 79 mm
- Mon-Loisir Rouillard: 73 mm
- Rivière-Noire: 69 mm
- Rose-Belle: 67 mm
- Rivière-des-Anguilles: 40 mm
- Plaisance: 40 mm
Roads which were impracticable according to the National Emergency Operations Command on Friday morning.
- Rue Berthaud in Quatre Bornes
- Old Moka Road in Quatre Bornes
- Anse Jonchée
- Pierrefonds Bridge
- Avenue Bathfield in Rose-Hill
- La Marie, near the Ragavoodoo Restaurant
- Port Argy
- Bassin à Quatre Bornes roundabout
- Kestrel Avenue – Coastal Road junction (Morc Chazal)
- Clemencia
- Lardier Bridge
- Kewal Nagar
- Bramsthan epinay bridge
- St Antoine- Camp Faulerea
- Anderson Street in Curepipe
- Baie du Cap
