President visits coastal rehabilitation and infrastructure projects |30 November 2022
• Expresses satisfaction at their progress
By Patsy Canaya
President Wavel Ramkalawan yesterday afternoon visited two coastal projects at Beau Vallon and Anse Gaulete and a flood mitigation project at Corgate Estate, and expressed satisfaction at the way they have progressed.
The head of state, who was accompanied by Land and Housing minister Billy Rangasamy and the minister responsible for climate change and environment Flavien Joubert and other government officials, started their tour in the northern part of Mahé, in Beau Vallon, opposite the Boat House restaurant, to inspect the construction of a sea wall as part of the coastal rehabilitation project to prevent degradation of the beach during the north-west trade winds.
Construction of the 170-metre sea wall, funded under the Environment Trust Fund at a cost of nearly R2 million, started over two years ago and is now completed.
However, the project has another phase, which includes the continuation of the sea wall on Beau Vallon beach from the open gym near the Savoy Resort & Spa to La Plage restaurant.
The second sea wall is being built at Anse Gaulette, Baie Lazare, next to Lazare Picault restaurant, to stop heavy erosion, which had already started to damage the road.
The 280-metre long infrastructure has been financed from the budget at R5.3 million.
The senior climate adaptation officer at the Climate Change Division, Annie Simeon, explained that a sea wall was a better option to rock armouring as the latter would have taken more beach space.
It should be noted that the coastal area where the sea wall is being built is privately owned and government had to seek permission for way leave from the owners.
According to Miss Simeon, work which started in August is 80 percent completed and is expected to be finalised by mid-December.
“We had targeted six months for this project but the contractor has really accelerated their work, because as you know they have to monitor the tide and work accordingly,” she said.
President Ramkalawan said he was very satisfied with both coastal rehabilitation projects.
“The Beau Vallon sea wall has gone exactly as planned and today when we look at the place we all understand why it was necessary. The whole area is now protected from degradation and nothing will be built here. We will now beautify the place, install benches to make it a nice leisure spot where people can sit and enjoy the view and the sunset,” said the president.
While in Beau Vallon, President Ramkalawan also held talks with the owner of La Plage restaurant to discuss plans to beautify the area, together with the Seychelles Infrastructure Agency.
He also spoke to some local vendors on the need to maintain cleanliness in the area and to manage a consumer-friendly business that respect tourists and ensure Beau Vallon retains its reputation as a popular tourist destination.
“I want the vendors to take ownership of the place. We will install a skip so that we do not find rubbish lying everywhere. I am happy with Beau Vallon and I hope the transformation continues to give the image the tourists expect when they come here. The police will also be doing regular patrols to prevent nuisance and disturbances we have seen in the past,” said the president.
It should be noted that a group of inmates from the Montagne Posée prison was on site yesterday to clean the area. According to prison office Donald Zialor they have been posted there for a week and was working alongside the Landscape and Waste Management Agency.
For the Anse Gaulette project, President Ramkalawan who was also accompanied by the elected member of the National Assembly for Baie Lazare, François Adelaide, toured the entire sea wall and thanked the team for their work.
“I appreciate the energy you have put into this and the way things are moving here in Baie Lazare. If we had not reacted fast enough we would have lost the entire road in the area. Now Anse Gaulette is getting a new façade,” said the president.
In Corgate Estate, Mont Fleuri, the delegation inspected desilting work and boundary wall as part of the flood mitigation work in the area. Work in the area started following heavy rain in March this year, which led to flooding. It involved the construction of a boundary wall, which is 1.20 metres wide and 80 metres long.
The last ministerial visit to the site was in October and the delegation said it was important to inspect the area ahead of the rainy season, which will start shortly.
According to Jean-Claude Labrosse, senior climate adaptation officer at the Climate Change Division, work was completed two weeks earlier than planned and they will now monitor it to ensure debris does not clog the river.
“With the construction of the wall, the village now has better protection. We now have to ensure desilting is done regularly and the place remains clean. So we will work together with the residents to ensure proper disposal of their rubbish to prevent them from dumping litter in the river,” said Mr Labrosse.
President Ramkalawan, who also expressed his appreciation for the Corgate Estate project, thanked the team, and has urged all government entities to maintain a similar level of enthusiasm towards other projects in the country.
“If this boundary wall had been built few months back, we would never have had the flooding problem we experienced earlier this year, so I am happy with the quality of work and the enthusiasm with which you have worked. Let us do the same for all capital projects planned next year,” he urged them.
During yesterday’s visit, the delegation also made a brief stop at the Baie Lazare police station which is closed since August this year due to health hazard. Renovation on the building is expected to start shortly and will be completed by mid-December.
Our selection of photos show some highlights of President Ramkalawan’s visits to Beau Vallon, Anse Gaulette and Corgate Estate yesterday.
Photos by Joena Meme
