The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Seychelles Communists Cloud of Failure Over Paradise

Sometimes I hate to say things because, they turn out to be true. I don’t know where this canning ability came from, but it has been with me most of my life, even when I was a child. I learned early on that I had to put it to use for good and not allow it to become a tool for evil.

Red There Is No Water !

For years I have written about the grave water problems in Seychelles. PUC has been under financed for years and even decades, three to be exact.

After the last elections in 2006, the SPPF Communists brought in French advisors from Suez Group, who were close friends of the late Michel Tretout, ex-ambassador from France, disgraced Fabrike, a shareholder in Casino hypermarket project to make assessments that local engineers had already made, and charged us Sr. 125 Million for a Two (2) year contract.

Michel Tretout

That money which was part of a greater scam, could have gone to replacing 50 year old rusting pipes that are responsible for the 85% leakage and loss of water being transferred from sources, to treatment plant to dam and consumer.

The 85% leakage for a public utility agency is poor performance and consequently, the PUC does not meet the 18% acceptable leakage rate to qualify for international financial assistance. That is why the water leaks and road breaking and repairing go on and on and on and we get less water every year. PL Communists ignored the water problem for decades. Today, we pay the price for this gross failure.

Red Where Are The Dams For Water?

The La Gogue Dam was built in the Mancham era, funded by the British, as was the Rochon Dam. Nothing has been done since to expand these dams or build new ones, and nothing has been done on Praslin to create a dam, though a natural dam exists. But the Communists use it to house a few terrapin turtles and some guppies, in case they ever need a voter. Smartest President in the world James Michel made the statement of they year last year when he quipped that "why build a dam when there is no rain water to put in it"! 

  

Rochon Dam                                La Gogue Dam

Red Says Buildings Do Not Drink Water!

For years I have said that large hotel projects will not benefit Seychelles and we will risk losing her charm and unique beauty as the concrete jungles go up and adequate water supply is not captured and stocked.

Communists the world over, love to cut ribbons and set foundation stones. In Seychelles, they are not an exception. They cut every ribbon, lay every single foundation stone. It is as if they are the only ones that can do anything. They do this to divert the public’s attention to their real failures that affect us all.

 

James Michel - loves plaques and ribbons

While they build and push construction, we not only have gone bankrupt as a state, but now in 2011, the grand failures of these poorly conceptualized  projects  now glares over the most beautiful islands in the world, in great failure and great sacrifice to the natural beauty of Seychelles, something we always knew we had to protect and even our Constitution recognizes this inseparable obligation of the people to nature.

1.     Shangri La Hotel on Long Island has been at a near stand still for over Two (2) years now. On occasion a little macadam is moved from the depot area on the left side to the right side. No water provision has been made for this project. Bungalows are not roofed and cement block skeletons grace this island in the St. Anne Marine Park, and there is no water source on the island to support such a foul idea.

2.     Eden Island is plunking along, but is showing signs of desperation, as the extended dry season sent the landscaper to the yards of Providence Industrial next door, looking for water tanks that were never installed. This project is single handedly responsible for the drying up of La Gogue Dam to low levels more then any other residential hotel project. La Gogue was at 45% capacity yesterday. In Thirty (30) days La Gogue will drop to 12% if no rain fall is registered and IOT may close, Seybrew may stop making beer, but Eden Island will still continue building? PUC should have Eden Island source its own water with its own desalination plants and its own storage, but how will it do that, when it is in front of a marine park?

    

Eden Island

3.     The Raffles Resort blunder has shown its grand failure now. Since it has opened, few guests have turned up. Those that have turned up have registered their complaints on travel blogs. As much as 450 workers are fed Four (4) times a day and the hotel is reportedly losing $600,000.00 per month. Locals line up along the road at night to drink beer, play music and watch the guests take a dip in publicly displayed dipping pools, as they try in vain to enjoy their evenings at the ill conceived concrete jungle monstrosity in the heart of Praslin.

 Raffles Hotel on Praslin - An abortion & ecological disaster on Praslin

It has been rumored that Prince Talal blames the marketing department for the folly. But no marketing effort will be able to retrieve this ill conceived hotel project that had green lights before designs were even presented to the Planning Authority. Another Communist basket case approval.

 Prince Talal

Praslin has struggled with water supply to accommodate the 450 -500 new workers, and demand drawn by Raffles. Yet Raffles has not contributed substantially to improving the water situation on Praslin.  It has all been a big free ride, so to speak. They have destroyed some water sources, other hotels used in the dry season, and tapped into rivers, without PUC prior approval.

Red The Barrels Are Everywhere!

As a direct consequence of PUC failure to deliver water effectively to Seychelles, blue, green, grey barrels are turning up every where, and anywhere, and ruining the natural beauty of the islands. The tanks have a look of desperation to them and send alarm bells out in the minds of visitors.

Water barrels anyone?

No water, but PUC trucks used for Party Lepep rally

The Communists actively encourage this practice, instead of coming up with proposals and tax rebates to place tanks under ground. State House itself will be graced with different color tanks in no time.

I visited a number of hotels this week, and found polyethylene pipes all over the place, as hoteliers battled to get secondary water sources. Seychelles has sufficient water supplies, we should never have been in this situation.

Red We Do Not Bathe !!

Countless families are going to sleep at night throughout Seychelles, without enough water to bathe. Some use bottles to bathe and keep up hygiene. Our children are reporting to hospital with flu and other related symptoms.

Only a dream in Seychelles

This is a signature failure of the SPPF PL Communists. The situation is not temporary as they will have us believe. It has been ongoing in parts of North Mahe for over One (1) year. In La Misere now, it is pushing Two (2) years, an area that always had water, but for the gross negligence of ASCON the contractor of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nayan.

Sheikh Khalifa to the rescue with 3 desalination plants so that Michel and the Sheikh can have a bath

Red Loves Desalination Plants

The Communists love desalination plants. In early 2000 decade, they bought a number of them before Rene retired and they were over invoiced. The technicians brought in said they would be costly to run and maintain. They were right. The existing desalination plants have been not functioning at 100% capacity, but perhaps 50% capacity or less, due to filter and pump maintenance issues.

At the run up to the Presidential Elections, sham elect President James Michel,  picked up the phone and called Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al Nayan, autocrat ruler of UAE and asked for help with more desalination plants.

Sheikh Khalifa - Michel's best friend

Sheikh Khalifa, always the willing friend of Michel for obvious reasons, sent out Three (3) new plants being installed, to restore capacity of production to what the existing plants should produce if they were maintained properly. Sheikh Khalifa could have sent some pump parts and membrane filters by DHL , and it would have had the same effect in capacity for water production.

As this water crisis cuts into our lives, families will suffer greatly. The economy will suffer greatly, our image as a destination will suffer, and in the end, we will all collectively, pay the price for 34 years of failed policy to address the water demands of Seychelles.

Joel Morgan - The Minister responsible for water and also for the Delo Kaka disaster

Start digging for water under James Michel, the sham elect President!

 

Back to the stone age…… before the days of our proud Corsaire descendants who came to these shores, with the can do attitude  and created a community with our pirate ancestors  and slaves alike, from all shores and they all  said: “we will do what we must… to survive”!

Seselwa Unite!

Sesel Pou Seselwa!

May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

Christopher Gill