Download I thank you Mr. Speaker, Sir. - Ministry of Environment, Sustainable

Speech of Minister of environment and sustainable
development on the Appropriation Bill 2013
Mr. Speaker Sir,
I have made it a point to go through the criticisms made by the opposition
during the debates on last year’s budget and I have compared them with
those made in the press by the Leader of the Opposition and by Hon. Pravind
Jugnauth since the presentation of this year’s Appropriation Bill. I have also
listened carefully to the speakers from the other side of the House who have
commented the budget earlier to-day, I find the same negative approach all
through. The birds of ill omen are still here, still the same, forecasting that
everything will be gloom and doom.
For the Leader of the Opposition this year’s budget is “fade”. It is a “budget
fizet et frivole”. There is one thing I must confess, Mr Speaker Sir: the
Leader of the Opposition has a very rich vocabulary when it comes to the
budget. It all depends on which side of the House he is sitting. This year it is
“fizet” and “frivole”. In the past when he was a trade unionist, it was a
budget “pro-patron” or a “budget qui fait la part belle au capitalisme”. At
some point in time it was a “budget sans coeur”, “un budget sans vision” or
even “un budget couilloneur”.
Whereas when the Leader of the Opposition is in Government, it is “un
budget tourné vers l’avenir, un budget porteur d’espoir, un budget qui
prépare l’île Maurice du 21ème siècle” and so on and so forth. He always
juggles with nice formulas to make the headlines in the press. At times he is
very laudatory and pompous and at times he is “un oiseau de malheur”. I’m
sure my friends from the press have got a whole set of his litany. You just
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have to go through the archives of our newspapers to find where bad faith
lies. We are used to this type of rhetoric which doesn’t impress anybody any
more. It’s only critics, critics and critics all over again but no positive or
concrete proposal.
This is the price to pay for parliamentary democracy but, Mr Speaker Sir,
one cannot go on playing politics with the economy and with the future of
this country. There is a limit to political demagogy. Last year or the year
before, the Leader of the Opposition even tried to play Monsieur Météo
forecasting a “tsunami économique” for Mauritius. Yet we managed to
prove that he was wrong. We have showed and we are still showing how
resilient our economy is, in spite of the turmoil which countries like America
and Europe have gone through.
Ever since the subprime crisis started in the United States in 2008, we have
witnessed the closing down of several big banks like Lehman Brothers
whereas here in Mauritius we have been welcoming new banks since 2005.
None of our financial institution has gone bankrupt. Our banking sector is
still very strong and resilient to external shocks and our financial services
sector is doing very well.
We know who talked about “poëlon chaud” and about Mauritius facing “un
état d’urgence économique” in the past. We know who was at the helm of
the Ministry of Finance when factories in the free zone were closing down
and thousands of workers were being laid off.
And when the women
workers organized a march to protest against the closing down of factories,
the Riot Unit was used to charge them using truncheon and tear gas. We, on
this side of the House, don’t want such a situation to occur again.
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Mr. Speaker Sir, when we compare Mauritius with countries like Iceland,
Greece, Portugal and Spain, we can be proud of the situation prevailing in
Mauritius. I don’t say that we have no problems. There are of course many
hurdles and many obstacles, but we managed to face many challenges This
is why, Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to congratulate the Vice Prime Minister
and Minister of Finance for bringing to this House a budget which strikes the
right balance between the social and the economic development which are
two faces of the same coin.
One newspaper stated that it is a Labour budget or les Rouges se
désolidarisent de Duval. We see the specialist at work pour semer la zizanie
au sein du gouvernement et faire croire qu’on n’est pas d’accord. Non, M. le
Président c’est un budget du gouvernement dans son ensemble et nous
sommes solidaires avec le Ministre des Finances, l’Hon Xavier Duval, et
notre partenaire de longue date, le PMSD.
It is again not true to say that there is no vision the budget. Modernising
Mauritius requires new ideas and a long term vision. This is what this
budget is all about and I am going to mention a few examples to substantiate
what I am saying. This budget creates the right atmosphere to attract
investments be it local or foreign. May I remind the House that Mauritius has
improved its ranking as an investment friendly country. This is being done
without allowing the traditional fat cows to continue thrive on subsidies, tax
rebate and Government moral support to divert development goals and
promote their own selfish interests. Democratizing the economy is still high
on Government’s agenda.
Let me quote a few examples, Mr Speaker Sir, to show the vision of this
Government. First and foremost, the project of giving a free meal to each
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student attending a ZEP school. This decision which has been praised by
everybody is in line with the philosophy of the Labour Party. This is a
landmark in the history of education in Mauritius. This is what we call
putting people first. Can you imagine, Mr Speaker Sir, after free education
and free transport from primary to tertiary level, we are offering a free meal
to school children who come from poor families. When I come across this
type of project I feel proud of belonging to the Labour Party. Improving the
welfare state again and again, this is our trademark in Government.
There is also the creation of a Student Loan Scheme. This will no doubt
encourage our students to pursue their studies at University level. With this
measure, we are preparing a brighter future not only for our youth but also
for the country. The distribution of one tablet computer to each Form IV
student next year will also contribute in consolidating our education system.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
This budget on “Rising to the Challenges of a World in Transition”
presented by the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance & Economic
Development, Hon. Xavier Luc Duval, is not a Classical one but rather a
Magical one as it abounds of so many good intentions in that the provisions
made therein will pave the way for:

A better resilient and sustainable Mauritius.

A Mauritius, where the Feel Good Factor will become inherent in
our daily lives.

A Mauritius, where our fellow countrymen will start reaping the
fruits of hard work.
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 A Mauritius, where Dignity will be restored in the name of fame by
people in whom confidence has been placed for the last decade.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
Leadership demands a commitment of service to others, a placing of their
needs above your own as I strongly believe that the very first condition of
lasting happiness is that life should be full of purpose, aiming at something
outside self. This is where, Mr Speaker Sir, our Leader and Prime Minister
strikes the right balance. He has placed above all, the people of Mauritius
at the centre of development.
“No horse gets anywhere until it is harnessed,” No life grows great until it
is focused, dedicated and disciplined. The choice of this Government would
have been simple by satisfying everybody but for a short time. However,
under the wise guidance and leadership of our visionary Prime Minister,
there is an ignition of passion for accomplishment. This is why this present
budget takes the best ingredients to transform the country into a modern
and resilient one.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
This budget is a budget of continuity supported by appropriate fiscal
mechanisms to make our societal dream, cherished by the Labour Party,
comes true. I fully concur with my colleague, the Vice Prime Minister and
Minister of Finance & Economic Development, as this budget being a
transitional one to enable us to reach the objectives and goals of sustainable
development and further consolidate our welfare state, long initiated by the
Father of the Nation.
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In fact, Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are already implementing the whole concept of
the Maurice Ile Durable, which was conceived and created by the Hon.
Prime Minister, is very much in line with the principles of Modern Welfare
State.
It is also a budget of consolidation coupled with the sense of devotion of
those who have given time to build a robust and resilient country. The
legacy is our prime consideration and we have taken all the opportunities to
move ahead in serenity.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
Even a turtle does not get ahead unless it sticks the neck out. Yes, we are
in a position to present once more a budget, (which by the way, we will
continue to do so for the coming decades), as maturity and credibility has
come through the acceptance of responsibility.
In the quest of building a better Mauritius, we cannot predict the future, but
we can create it. As a committed Government, we are striving hard to say
yes to our dreams and say yes to our unfolding future.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
This is also a compassionate budget where the transition from a house to a
home is being realised. (A house is a four wall but a home is a house with an
adequate happy family with the basic needs ROTI, KAPRA AUR MAKHAN).
If we want to reap a crop, Sir, we first need to cultivate the land, plant the
seed, water it, nourish it, protect it and then finally undertake the harvest. In
this government, we have gone further by redistributing this wealth to the
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whole population through measures and incentives presented in this budget
precisely to meet the requirements of a Modern Mauritius.
1.
Sustainable Development
Mr. Speaker, Sir
When we talk of sustainable development, we have to strike the right
balance among its three components namely economy, society, and
environment.
My colleague, the Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of
Finance & Economic Development has already announced the bold
measures to meet the country’s challenges of a world in transition. This
budget is geared towards achieving our country’s goals on sustainable
development and let me comfort you all by shedding light on the
environment sector, which is under my purview.
This year has witnessed a very important global event for the environment.
In June, world leaders met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the context of the
United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as RIO +
20 to assess progress achieved so far and to chart the path for future
intervention which will enable us to meet the challenges ahead, together.
The outcome of the conference emphasized on global issues such as poverty
alleviation, green economy, equity and environmental governance.
This was an opportunity to show case Mauritius as an Island State and also
as a committed country willing to forge ahead despite of economic turmoils.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
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Everyone has inside in him a piece of good news. The good news is that you
don’t know how great you can be! What you can accomplish! And what
your potential is!
In such international fora, where we are able to benchmark with other
countries the implementation of best practices and I am glad to share with
you that Mauritius was quoted as an example, which does honour to the
country.
2.
Pollution Prevention and Control
Mr. Speaker Sir
The House will agree that, Mauritius being a high-profile touristic
destination, we need to maintain a pristine environment in a sector where
there is cutthroat competition from other destinations.
Consequently,
environmental monitoring and enforcement is a prime requirement.
My Ministry ensures that regular assessment of the quality of air, water and
other environmental media are systematically undertaken so as to track the
impacts of pollution, evaluate pollution trends and take remedial actions.
The National Environmental Laboratory (NEL) of my Ministry has been
dealing with monitoring projects in the environmental field which covers
rivers, lagoon, effluents, soils and ambient air.
The National Environmental Laboratory (NEL) of my Ministry is accredited
for 18 test parameters since January 2009.
Through the continual
improvement policy of the Ministry, the laboratory is extending its scope of
accreditation from 18 test parameters to 30 test parameters. This will further
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consolidate the capacity of the laboratory in submitting analytical results
acceptable in a court of law. In this line, In 2012, my Ministry has acquired
a state-of-the-art mercury analyser through the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) to prevent the population from being affected by diseases
caused by the intake of mercury ( remember Minamata disease). In so
doing, we are being proactive.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
Environmental monitoring is not an end in itself. It is a means of ensuring
that our assets are left unimpaired for the present and future generations.
Monitoring paves the way for better enforcement and application of PolluterPays-Principle.
This budget has made provisions for the relocation of
industries through incentives in the form of land conversion tax and
earmarking of dedicated sites for noise polluting activities such as gaming
houses and night clubs away from residential agglomerations. This will
contribute significantly to further reduce all forms of pollution within
residential areas and enhance our quality of life.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
Every action counts. We have joined hands with the Mauritius Telecom
Foundation to collect and dispose of safely used mobile phones and batteries.
My Ministry has taken the bold decision of destroying a large stock of DDT
pesticides (137 tons) which were stored since many years and constituted a
potential threat to human health and the environment, and which were
previously used for Malaria vector control. Besides, by the end of this year
about 600 tons of DDT contaminated soils will also be shipped to
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Netherlands for safe disposal and the contaminated sites will thus be
remediated.
Let me also emphasise on another bold action taken by this government: we
have recently reduced the sulphur content of diesel from 500 ppm to 50 ppm,
which is a first in Africa. The first monitoring exercise conducted by my
Ministry has revealed a significant reduction in the concentration of sulphur
dioxide in the ambient air. This is indeed a major achievement and my
Ministry will continue to monitor the trends.
Protection of the environment requires investment in new technologies to
achieve better results. I assure this house that I will leave no stone unturned
towards that end.
3.
Enforcement
Mr. Speaker, Sir
One of the ways to protect the environment is pollution prevention and
control.
To further reinforce our ability to reduce pollution, as a
coordinating ministry we have taken the following measures:

a whole range of instruments, including Industrial Waste Audit,
Environment Impact Assessment/ Preliminary Environment Report
(EIA/PER) monitoring and regular ambient air quality monitoring has
been reinforced;

various Enforcing Agencies and Authorities have been empowered to
implement the Environment Protection Act for an effective and
efficient enforcement;
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
various Notices such as Enforcement Notices, Eyesore Abatement
Notice, and Fixed Penalty Notices and contraventions have been
issued to prevent and control environmental pollution. Moreover,
many cases in breach of environmental laws are being taken to court
for prosecution;

reinforcement of the Police de L’environnement from 05 to 30
Officers;

training of regular police and new recruits to support the Police de
L’environnement. This will boost the enforcement of laws relating to
illegal dumping and littering and contribute to strengthen the “To G-T,
To TA-C” campaign launched in May last jointly with the Ministry of
Local Government and Outer Islands, and the Ministry of Tourism and
Leisure; and

an aggressive sensitization on key environmental issues to change
mindset at local and community level.
Mr. Speaker Sir
All these actions are being carried out within a framework of proximity and
participation.
The main causes of public complaints are presently, noise mainly from
individuals or from bungalows and solid waste, through dumping on
abandoned plots of land and littering. These are due to the indiscipline of
citizens.
These problems are being addressed by the different Local
authorities and Enforcing agencies. Further to actions initiated my Ministry
has issued more than 15 Notices this year under the Environment Protection
Act 2002 and has established more than 3000 contraventions for littering.
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These penalties are not only deterrents but bring also more awareness for the
respect of the environment.
In line with the Government Programme “Strengthening of the existing
enforcement and compliance mechanism”, my Ministry is working in close
collaboration with the enforcing agencies, Local Authorities and the Police
Department for an efficient and effective enforcement of environmental
laws.
4.
Awareness- Raising and Sensitisation
The protection and conservation of the environment is not only the concern
of Government, but also the duty of each and every citizen and visitor.
There is need for the voluntary participation of one and all. In order to
achieve this objective, Government is sparing no effort to enlist the support
of all stakeholders.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
Sustained environmental education and awareness is vital to ensure that the
all stakeholders and the public in general are empowered with the necessary
knowledge, understanding, skills and values to participate actively in the
development of a clean and green environment. It is crucial to inculcate a
sense of personal and social responsibility to preserve our environment and
to improve our quality of life.
To help the community shift from a throw-away society to an
environmentally friendly one, my Ministry has come up with several
initiatives for different target groups. For instance, under the School Waste
Segregation project with a view to promote recycling initiatives in the school
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community, all primary and secondary schools have been provided with a set
of bins and a compost unit to carry out wastes segregation and composting.
Some 2600 bins and 640 compost units have been provided to all the
schools. The project will be extended to Rodrigues in 2013.
In addition, compost units have also been provided to all Community
Centres in Mauritius and Rodrigues with the aim to demonstrate the
importance of composting to the local community.
With a view to promote cleanliness across the country 400 bins are being
installed in public places.
Moreover, distribution of cloth bags, long lasting bags (supplied by
Mauritius Telecom), and paper bags to the general public has been carried
out.
In line with its on-going sensitization and education efforts, my Ministry is
promoting the use and the importance of medicinal plants with the objective
to encourage the general public to develop a green attitude.
In this
connection, some 28,600 medicinal and decorative plants have been
distributed to the general public in 2012 and the distribution programme will
be sustained in 2013.
5.
Legislation
In line with the Government Programme 2012-2015 and with a view to
making the Environment Protection Act more responsive and adaptable to
emerging environmental challenges, my Ministry is reviewing this
legislation to provide an enhanced legal framework for better environmental
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protection and sustainable development.
This will provide for a more
stringent enforcement and compliance mechanism. Wide consultation
has been carried out with stakeholders concerned including the Rodrigues
Regional Assembly
Furthermore, with a view to providing up-to-date legislation in line with
international norms, my Ministry is also reviewing the regulations on air,
hazardous wastes and effluent limitations. The revised air regulations will
include new standards for the ambient air and emissions from industrial
stacks and incinerators such as dioxins and furans, whilst the new hazardous
wastes regulations will cater for hazardous substances to be in line with the
model legislation on management of hazardous wastes developed under the
Basel Convention.
These draft regulations have reached an advanced stage and will be
introduced soon.
6.
Climate Change
Mr. Speaker Sir
Climate Change is a global threat and our vulnerability to its impacts, in
particular with respect to extreme weather events is a harsh reality.
Recent global observations confirm a worsening of the scale of these impacts
and the serious threat it poses to least developed countries and small island
developing states. Despite all mitigating efforts, global warming and its
impacts, including sea level rise and the acidification of our oceans, will
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continue for decades as a result of the greenhouse gases already emitted by
developed countries.
In April this year, Greenpeace raised concerns on the fact that the average
Arctic temperatures have been increasing at almost twice the global average.
Many reports cover the implications of what is termed as an inevitable
process: the melting of the snow over the Arctic Ocean. With its sea ice
shrinking by around 12 % every decade since 1970, researchers predict that
there will be no sea ice at all by the end of the century, and probably much
earlier.
Last month, the UK Health Protection Agency released a report indicating
that they are predicting more than 12 000 heat-related deaths per year by
2080 as compared to the current 2000 per year. The UK government is also
pre-empting the spread of chikungunya and dengue, usually present in
tropical countries, but having already laid base in Europe with the changing
climates.
The recent hurricane “Sandy” that hit the Carribean region resulted in over
150 deaths and billions of dollars of losses and damages.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
As any other Small Island Developing States, Mauritius is going to
disproportionately face the high economic, social and environmental
consequences of climate change, despite the fact that SIDS’ contribution to
global greenhouse gas emissions is insignificant. For instance, the long-term
observations of the Mauritius Meteorological Services has pointed out
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alarming decreasing trends in annual rainfall, increases in mean temperatures
and accelerated sea-level rise.
The magnitude of these impacts will inevitably affect our key economic
sectors, spilling over our Gross Domestic Product, employment, livelihoods
as well as the quality of life of our citizens.
In-depth analysis, modelling and projections carried out for our country by
international consultants have concluded that by mid-century, the average
temperature is going to rise by 2 degrees, with a further 13 % decrease in
water supply and acceleration of sea level rise. The recent Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management study conducted by my Ministry has pointed out
that potential hazard due to flash flood, landslide and coastal inundation are
high in certain areas and important public assets on the coast could be at risk.
By the year 2100, several buildings and infrastructures in Mauritius and
Rodrigues will be exposed to potential damages, worth Rs 1.7 billion as a
result of floods, landslides and coastal inundations risks.
It is against this urgent situation of climate change that Mauritius is taking
commendable steps towards formulating appropriate responses.
As an
expression of our commitment to find sustainable solutions to this threat,
Government has placed climate change high on its agenda.
Here I wish to emphasise that further to the intervention of the Prime
Minister for international support at the Copenhagen Climate Summit in
2009, the Government of Japan has provided a grant funding of Rs 90
million under the Africa Adaptation Programme, commonly referred as
AAP.
The funding obtained has been used judiciously to establish the
necessary enabling framework for climate change adaptation to happen in
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our key sectors, namely Agriculture, Education, Environment, Fisheries,
Health, Infrastructure and Tourism.
Under this three-year programme, some 25 activities have been successfully
completed and 5 other activities will be completed by December 2012.
These activities cover vulnerability assessment, policy and legislative
review, institutional strengthening, research and development, capacity
building, awareness-raising and demonstration activities.
Allow me to elaborate on some of our key achievements under the AAP.
First, the strategic recommendations formulated from the series of studies in
different sectors undertaken under the AAP will be integrated in Government
planning mechanisms. Some of the outputs from these studies are as follows:
(i)
a National Climate Change Adaptation Framework incorporating
the prioritized policy measures along with the budgetary requirements
is being finalised;
(ii)
an EIA scoping checklist and guidelines that include climate change
considerations are being developed and will be integrated into
requirements of EIA submissions;
(iii)
recommendations are being formulated taking into consideration the
impacts of climate change within the context of coastal zone
management in Mauritius; and
(iv)
based on the most probable developmental and climate change
scenarios for the future, maps showing risks and hazard-prone areas
have been produced.
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Second, the Mauritius Research Council has framed 12 climate change
related research projects which are currently being carried out. These
studies cover different fields such as the water sector and hydrological
models, the agricultural sector on compost utilization by farmers, endemic
plant phenology, the coastal zone sector with scientific studies on coastal
communities, “piqueuses d’ourites” in Rodrigues and coastal zone planning,
viable energy options and wind maps, as well as coal ash usage and
impacts.
Third, the programme has emphasised that sharing of climate data and
information is of paramount importance to ensure that decision makers are
empowered with the right tools to enable the community to become more
resilient against climate change. In this context, my Ministry has initiated the
following projects under the AAP:
(i)
with the support of the Agricultural and Research Extension Unit and
the Agricultural Services of the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food
Security, an Agricultural Decision Support System is being put in
place with the procurement of seven agro-met stations and a
centralized server by December 2012. These stations will be based at
Wooton, Richelieu, Mapou, Flacq Demonstration Area, Plaisance
Demonstration Centre, Grand Bassin/Plaine Sophie and Henrietta. The
Agricultural Decision Support System will provide vital and timely
information to help farmers to schedule the various agro-cultural
practices e.g. planting, weed and pest control to better adapt to climate
change and hence producing stable crop yield, increasing income and
ensuring food security;
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(ii)
a High-Performance Climate Data Server has also been procured and
installed at the University of Mauritius with the objective of
promoting research and capacity building on climate research and
modeling among researchers and students. Some 42 participants have
been trained on climate analysis and modeling; and
(iii)
a National Climate Change Information Centre is being set up at my
Ministry with the aim of providing climate data information and
projections for informed decision making, amongst others, to the
public.
Fourth, the programme has laid much emphasis on building capacity in
different sectors on climate change through a series of activities including
awareness weeks, sensitization campaigns, training sessions, local and
regional workshops, development of pedagogical materials, and exhibitions.
Some 2500 professionals from various sectors, including engineering,
architecture, education, environment, health, gender and legislation have
been sensitized, trained and imparted with expert knowledge on climate
change related issues. Besides some 15,000 people have been sensitized on
climate change issues through talks, seminars and exhibitions in Women
Centres, Community Centres, Schools and in the Climate Change
Knowledge Fair.
Fifth, the AAP has also funded several demonstration projects to showcase
practical applications of adaptation measures. These include:
(i)
the rehabilitation of degraded reefs through coral farming at Albion,
Pointe aux Sables and Trou aux Biches, and in Rodrigues at Graviers
and Hermitage. The first results are very positive and the exercise
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could be replicated in other sites to rejuvenate our reefs;
(ii)
an existing children’s playground is being transformed into an
endemic garden and an Information Centre on climate change is to be
set up at the Panchavati village Community Centre;
(iii)
six salinity meters have been distributed and appropriate training
imparted to onion planters in the South East of Mauritius. This will
enhance the livelihood of vulnerable planters and their families and
help build climate resilience for red onion cultivation in Petit Sable
and surrounding villages as well as enable better irrigation decisions;
(iv)
with a view to monitor coral bleaching in the South East Marine
Protected Area in Rodrigues, sea water temperature monitoring
systems and 12 data loggers have been set-up at five stations – in
Rivière Banane, Anse aux Anglais, Grand Baie, Plaine Corail and
Pointe L’Herbe.
I seize this opportunity to thank the Government of Japan for helping
Mauritius to enhance our resilience to the impacts of climate change by
providing the necessary funding for the AAP Programme.
Mr. Speaker Sir
I have to add that my Ministry is also finalising a Technology Action Plan
with the support of UNEP that would enable Mauritius to implement
technologies meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support
adaptation to climate change that are consistent with national development
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priorities. The key sectors targeted are energy industries, agriculture, water
and coastal zone.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
The above initiated measures bear testimony to the efforts made by this
Government on the issue of climate change. Combating climate change
requires partnerships, and more importantly, participation of stakeholders at
all levels. The activities so far have set the basis for mainstreaming climate
change.
We still have a long way to go with the implementation of
recommendations.
To this end, my Ministry will continue to seek
international assistance in terms of funding, technology transfer and capacity
building.
Mr. Speaker, Sir
I am pleased to inform this House that my Ministry has successfully secured
grant funding to the tune of Rs 270 million from the Adaptation Fund of the
Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) to implement the ‘Climate Change Adaptation
Programme in the Coastal Zone of Mauritius’. Let me point out that very
few countries have benefitted from such an amount of fund because of the
stringent procedures involved.
The objective of this Programme is to
increase the climate resilience of local communities and their livelihoods in
the coastal areas of the Republic of Mauritius. The programme started in
July 2012 and will be implemented over a period of five years (2012-2017).
The application of adaptation measures for coastal protection will address
current climate change risks at three coastal sites namely, Mon Choisy,
Riviere des Galets and Quatre Soeurs. These risks will be abated through the
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design and application of coastal protection measures, using proven
technologies, addressing beach erosion and flood risk from storm surges.
The project also comprises the development of an Early Warning System for
incoming storm surge to be manned on 24-hour basis so that the coastal
communities in the Republic of Mauritius are able to safely evacuate prior to
incoming storm surge events.
The project will thus, strengthen the
institutional capacity in Mauritius through training and capacity building in
the government and private sectors in order to reduce risks associated with
climate induced socioeconomic and environmental losses. Subsequently, the
coastal protection measures being designed and implemented for the three
pilot sites in Mauritius will be adapted and replicated in other areas of the
Republic of Mauritius to protect the coastal zone and increase resilience to
climate change.
7.
Coastal Protection Works
As a Small Islands State, one of the most visible impacts of climate change
and associated sea level rise is the accelerated rate and magnitude of beach
erosion. This is a direct threat to our coastal zones and the tourism industry.
As a responsible Government, we have embarked in an aggressive Coastal
protection programme to rehabilitate degraded sites around the island. For
the year 2012, soft measures consisting of beach nourishment have been
carried out at ten eroded public beaches in order to rehabilitate and to
maintain the sandy beaches. For nine critical coastal sites where heavy
engineering works are required Government has started to implement coastal
protection works to the tune of Rs 250 million. For this year contracts are
being awarded to start works at Poudre D’Or, Cap Malheureux and Grand
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Riviere Sud Est and for the remaining sites works will be undertaken in 2013
and 2014.
As a long term measure, Mauritius with the technical assistance of the
Government of Japan is conducting scientific surveys along the coast line,
lagoon and reef with a view to develop coastal conservation plans for the
Republic of Mauritius. The objective is to address coastal erosion using
innovative and long term resilient coastal protection measures.
These conservation plans will be completed and tested through
demonstration projects within the coming two years and will comprise a
beach protection and rehabilitation plan, a coastal spatial use plan and a reef
conservation plan.
An institutional management framework and new
strategies on information, education and communication to support the
coastal conservation plans will also be developed.
8.
Rio +20
Mr Speaker Sir
As mentioned earlier, world leaders met in Rio, Brazil in the context of the
United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (RIO+20) to assess
progress on sustainable development and to renew political commitment on
global issues such as poverty, prosperity, green economy, equity and
environmental governance.Mauritius is participated in this high level
Summit and made its voice heard through negotiating blocs such as the
Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the Africa Group, and the G77 and
China group on these critical issues. At the Summit, Mauritius reported
several positive measures taken by the country to promote responsible
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management of its natural assets, both for the present and future generations
and the initiatives taken to move towards green growth through programmes
to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable consumption
and production among others.
I am pleased to inform the House that the Summit retained several key issues
which Mauritius had flagged in several negotiation sessions and for which I
had also made pressing pleas in my speech at this global gathering and these
are namely:
(i)
strengthening the mandate of the United Nations Environment
Programme as the leading global environmental authority that sets the
global environmental agenda;
(ii)
the setting up of a process in view of the establishment of appropriate
international mechanisms for the transfer of technology, resource
mobilisation and capacity building to developing countries including
SIDS;
(iii)
the need to develop other criteria than the GDP to assess well-being
and development.
9.
Sustainable Consumption & Production
Mr. Speaker Sir
Let me congratulate my colleague, the Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of
Finance and Economic Development for the laudable initiatives concerning
the promotion of Sustainable Consumption and Production, in the budget
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such as reduced paper use in the public sector and the promotion of energy
efficient appliances.
It is to be noted that these measures are major
components of the National SCP Programme and are already being
undertaken by my Ministry.
As such Minimum Energy Performance
Standards (MEPS) have been developed for Air Conditioners, Refrigerators
and Washing Machines. Additionally, it is also interesting to note that the
budget has granted subsidies on locally produced compost thereby
minimizing the use of chemical fertilisers and improving the quality if our
land resources. The SCP programme is being pursued and will henceforth
be included within the overarching policy framework of Maurice Ile
Durable.
10.
Maurice Ile Durable
Mr. Speaker Sir
I have come across many comments in the press whereby there is no mention
of the MID in the budget. However, let me reassure the house that the whole
budget is centred around the MID concept which covers sustainable
development in key sectors like Energy, Environment, Education,
Employment and Equity.
Let me remind the House that sustainable development stands on three
pillars, namely economic growth, social equality and environment
conservation. And this is exactly what the budget is all about. In order to
transform our republic into a Maurice Ile Durable a whole package of
measures have been proposed. Some of them are under the heading of
Cleaner and Greener Mauritius. Other measures concern, sound economic
development, land use management, promotion of sustainable agriculture,
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development of the ocean economy, poverty alleviation, and education for
the vulnerable groups.
I am naming a few of them. They are as follows:

improvement of scavenging services by modernisation of the waste
collection system whereby Rs 100m have been provided for
acquisition of compactor lorries;

30 million rupees for the Road Development Authority to clean all
classified roads in Mauritius;

500 million rupees for a series of urban and rural renovation projects,
to improve the living environment of our citizens;

Local Authorities will improve the frequency of the service for
removal of bulky waste, apart from construction waste, free of charge;

Twenty five percent of Government’s paper requirements will be met
by recycled paper.

Each Ministry and department will now segregate waste paper for
recycling;

Provision of 200 million Rupees for the solar water heater scheme to
reduce our dependency on imported fossil fuel and reduce our carbon
footprint;

Differentiated excise duties will be applied on household appliances to
discourage the purchase of energy inefficient products;

Installation of an additional 10,000 smart meters in 2013 and
application of a time of use tariff to save meter reading costs and
enable the consumer to optimize on electricity consumption;

50 per cent accelerated capital allowances in respect of investment in
green technology;
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
the Vallée d’Osterlog Endemic Garden will be upgraded at a cost of
10 million Rupees;

promotion of sustainable agriculture by providing a subsidy of 40
million rupees to small planters on locally produced compost. This
will reduce use of chemical fertilisers by 30 percent. Moreover, idle
land will be put to more productive use by encouraging owners to
offer their lands on short leases.
Economy
As regards our economic development (first pillar of SD) the budget has
provided for capital investment amounting to the tune of 28.6 billion rupees
in terms of heavy investments in the water sector, electricity, waste
management,
wastewater
management,
roads,
port,
airport
and
communication amongst others.
Another major MID initiative is the development and reinforcement of our
ocean economy.
This is also in line with announcement made in the
Government programme 2012- 2015.
Ocean Economy

Government will look for strategic partners for the exploration and
exploitation of our mineral resources.

To enable the generation of clean and renewable energy for the Island
consideration will also be given to the creation of offshore farms in
the waters of Rodrigues.
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
To build capacity in the blue economy, Government will grant special
scholarships to encourage our youth to embrace a career in the Ocean
economy. This will also include capacity building for fishers.

Government will initiate two more small scale aquaculture projects
and lagoon replenishment to reinforce the seafood sector and assist in
technology development.
Education and Equity
In order to eradicate poverty and promote equity, several measures have
initiated, inter alia:

130 million rupees for the provision of a hot meal daily to each and
every child in every ZEP school in Mauritius.

Provision a minimum support of 750 rupees per child per month for
children in low income families.

Provision of tablet computer to each Form iv students
I would like to inform the House that we are in the process of finalising the
MID policy, strategy and 3-year action plan.
11.
MID Fund
Over and above projects and actions on sustainable development
mentioned above several projects have also been initiated or implemented
under the MID Fund. These projects are basically aimed to reinforce our
sustainable development agenda.
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The Maurice Ile Durable Fund is consolidating the foundation to achieve
the goal of embedding sustainable development through a number of policy
interventions and other MID initiatives.
Some of MID projects
implemented in 2012 include the following:

a new Phase 2 Solar Water Heater Scheme for at least 14,000 new
households;

installation of Photo Voltaic Panels for at least 52 public and private
schools;

rain water harvesting scheme for market and fairs for local
authorities;

water savings campaign for heavy water users (hotel, restaurant,
hospital, school, etc) through the use of water faucet aerators;

household composting scheme aim to give home composting a boost
by encouraging people in their local communities to compost at
home;

training of 120 volunteers as trainers in Mauritius and in Rodrigues
to join the above programme to enable them to promote home
composting within their own communities and encouraging at least
10,000 people to take responsibility for the waste they produce, and
to give them the support that they need in order to compost their
food and garden waste at home;

carbon footprint project for Mauritius Export Association (MEXA)
to increase the competitiveness of the companies across various local
sectors through relative reduction of Green House Gas emissions by
at least 15% and promote at the same time the country’s sustainable
development and this will include 10 state owned companies;
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
free Environmental Program DVDs for all primary and secondary
schools to promote eco-friendly behaviour and sustainable lifestyle.
As regards the Solar Water Heater Scheme, Government has already
disbursed Rs 370 M for at least 37,000 beneficiaries. From a national
perspective the country has benefited in the reduction in residential power
use as it drew down less power from the grid supply as well as reduction in
demand (during peak times in particular) from the residential sector means
that fewer power stations need to be planned for in the future. The Central
Electricity Board (CEB) has recognized that solar water heaters will play a
major role in its demand side management (DSM) programme. In addition,
as water is heated mostly by the sun, a solar water heater will reduce CO2
emissions in the country by about 2 tons per household per year.
This is why government in 2013, will continue to promote this popular
Solar Water Heater Scheme for an additional 20,000 new beneficiaries. It
is estimated that Government will save Rs 72 Million per year on direct
subsidy of LPG together with a potential reduction of approximately
42,000 Mwh per year on the CEB grid during peak time for the 20,000 new
beneficiaries. This will result in saving of Rs 220 M in terms of Heavy
Fuel Oil for the country.
The MID Fund will continue to deliver on its mandate and new areas in
2013 like:

growing and gardening initiatives for school children;

rain water harvesting scheme for local authorities;

restoration of gardens;

outreach campaign on MID Strategy, Policy and Action Plan;
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
Photo Voltaic Systems for schools;

domestic rain water harvesting scheme;

allied micro projects in deprived localities;

green buildings; and

research on bio fuel.
12.
Conclusion
Mr. Speaker Sir
This budget prepares Mauritius to face the challenge of a world in transition
whilst connecting us to new opportunities. The measures contained in this
budget concretely embed sustainability in all spheres of the socio-economic
development of the country. Under the guided leadership of the Prime
Minister, Mauritius will become a model of sustainable development. We
see the future of Mauritius in the eyes of our children and our legacy is to
hand over to them a green, safe and prosperous Mauritius, our home on the
blue planet.
I thank you Mr. Speaker, Sir.
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