Republic of Mauritius- Local authorities receive training in managing emergency situations

The training is being provided by the Plate-Forme d’Intervention Régionale de l’Océan Indien (PIROI) and the Mauritius Red Cross Society. The sharing of experience by PIROI to LEOC would be beneficial to Mauritius since the country is working towards the implementation of Priority 4 of the Sendai Framework, namely strengthening and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response.

The main objective of the training is to improve the capacity of LEOC managers to better identify, manage, organise and respond to emergency situations that may lead to natural risks at the local level. During the workshop, emphasis will be on the setting up, organisation and operational management of the LEOC as well as preparedness measures such as planning and conduct of simulation/table tops exercises and drills.

In his address, Minister Sinatambou stated that as a Small Island Development State, Mauritius is vulnerable to severe weather events and natural disasters as well as man-induced disasters. According to the World Risk Report 2018, Mauritius is the 16^th country with the highest disaster risk and the 10^th most exposed to natural hazards, he added.

In that context, he indicated that since 2015, Mauritius has adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which advocates a shift from managing disasters to managing and reducing disaster risk. Other measures include: enactment of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Act in 2016; recruitment of Local Disaster Management Coordinators at the level of each Municipal/ District Council level to strength disaster risk reduction at local level; establishment of a LEOC at the level of each Municipal/District Council; enactment of the Land Drainage Authority Act in 2017; and amendments brought to the Local Government Act which tackle the issue of illegal construction on drains and water course.

Speaking about Global Recycling Day which is being observed today, Mr Sinatambou recalled that it was created in 2018 to help recognise the importance recycling plays in preserving our precious primary resources and securing the future of the planet. He announced that several projects will be implemented as regards recycling and composting adding that discussions with donor agencies have already taken place. The projects include: setting up of a Material Resource facility for recycling and composting to the tune of Rs 120 million; construction of a Scrap Yard for vehicle recycling; and recycling of construction and demolition waste.