The District of Mahabo will completely disappear if…

Within 5 years, 20ha of land, upon which 320 roofs are built and 35 of which are permanent structures, have already been swept away by the Morondava river which passes through the District of Mahabo. Mosque, administration building, public market and roads, all have disappeared in a very short time. In fact, according to the local engineers, the level of the river rises of about 1m per minute, especially during the period of rain. In that period, the water flow can rise up to 200m3 per second.  

In front of such imminent danger affecting their hometown, the local population has launched an urgent appeal to the main authorities to find solutions in a very short time. Indeed, the local government officials have warned that if no urgent measure is taken by the Government, the District of Mahabo will completely be erased from the map of the Great Island.

2 proposals of solutions

In the course of an official visit of the Minister in charge of the fisheries in the region, the local government officials have put forward 2 proposals of solutions destined to check the rise of water. The first proposal consists of diverting the course of the river by constructing a 2km long canal. This project requires a budget of about 120 million Ariary. The second proposal aims at fortifying the seaside with rocks and concrete, requiring an investment amount of about 3, 4 billion Ariary.

Given the current economic situation of the country, both of the proposals are too expensive for the government to be realized, stated the Minister during his visit. However, he promised he would discuss the problems during cabinet meeting, and try to convince the other members of the government to take a closer look at the situation.