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Two weeks ago, a cargo ship ran aground in our lagoon, right by Blue Bay, a protected Marine Park.
Today, the ship is flooding the lagoon with oil.
Today, the ship is flooding the lagoon with oil.
Everyone's devastated.
There are plans to collect hair and make natural nets to soak up the oil, I hope that goes ahead.
Dead fish are already washing up on the shore. Fishermen across the coast won't be able to make a living for the next few years.
This is a massive crisis.
There are plans to collect hair and make natural nets to soak up the oil, I hope that goes ahead.
Dead fish are already washing up on the shore. Fishermen across the coast won't be able to make a living for the next few years.
This is a massive crisis.
Video by a local news station in Kreol, describing the situation. If you understand Haitian or St Lucian Creole, ours is rather similar: https://www.facebook.com/www.defimedia.info/videos/1574459902733197
Here's how the government tried to contain the spill. The black curves on the photo are the booms put in place.
This is the magnitude of the disaster at the moment.
But there are local efforts underway, too. Handmade booms made of bagasse to trap the oil.
This is the magnitude of the disaster at the moment.
But there are local efforts underway, too. Handmade booms made of bagasse to trap the oil.
More from this morning:
Mahebourg's full of people helping to make the natural boomers. This is a citizen-led initiative, too - the local authorities haven't helped much at all.
And at night, the work continues.
And at night, the work continues.
*natural booms, ugh. Oh well.
Good morning everyone! Here's the latest. The citizen-led initiative is still going on, everyone's hard at work this morning across the island. Here are a few images:
A few more pictures for you, and a meme.
Those large needles are used to sew the sacks containing bagasse. The natural booms are working really well.
Those large needles are used to sew the sacks containing bagasse. The natural booms are working really well.
Eerie photo of Ile aux Aigrettes this morning, found on http://lexpress.mu .
Emmanuel Macron promises to help Mauritius. Here's his message to our PM, and Reunion island's plan of action:
Pictures of the leak from Maxar:
Picture by Nicolas Couronne. These are all volunteers removing the oil from the lagoon.
Jerome Bonieux, kitesurf instructor, is enraged. He says that the barriers placed by the government are completely useless; the gov. officials didn't take the sea currents into consideration. He says that he tried talking to them but they wouldn't listen.
https://www.facebook.com/852275537/posts/10163435050685538/
https://www.facebook.com/852275537/posts/10163435050685538/
Pictures from today, 08/08. People are planning on staying all night, crafting more booms. Doctors are in Pointe d'Esny, helping those working on booms and those in the lagoon cleaning the oil.
Photo 1: Anais Dercy, Photo 2: Navneesh Ramessur.
Photo 1: Anais Dercy, Photo 2: Navneesh Ramessur.
Hi, new followers! I'm terrible at twitter and don't know how to make a proper thread. Anyway. I'm a writer and freelance journalist, and I've lived in Mauritius almost my whole life, and live there now. I'm doing my best to cover the disaster.
This Government communique from yesterday effectively means that citizens helping out in Mahebourg are acting illegally.
This is still a place where you can be arrested for criticising the gov. online, for posting a meme.
But the work continues. The booms are still being made.
This is still a place where you can be arrested for criticising the gov. online, for posting a meme.
But the work continues. The booms are still being made.
A funny story for you: so you may have heard that Emmanuel Macron responded to Pravind Jugnauth's (our PM) tweet offering help. Except...the account was fake.
And the person behind the account has solicited help and aid from other powerful countries, too.
And the person behind the account has solicited help and aid from other powerful countries, too.
Mangroves covered in oil in Vieux Grand Port. The spill is spreading.
An illustration by Daphné Doomun:
My friend @ghrkzs made this tonight: https://sovnoulagon.carrd.co
Right, I'm going to bed. Thank you to everyone who shared this post, to those of you who are following the crisis.
We'll need all your good thoughts and prayers tonight. There's bad weather at sea. The ship may break with the force of the waves, leading to an even greater spill.
We'll need all your good thoughts and prayers tonight. There's bad weather at sea. The ship may break with the force of the waves, leading to an even greater spill.
Good morning everyone! It's Day 3 of the Wakashio crisis, 8am here in Mauritius and you can expect tweets every three hours from me with the latest news.
People will still be gathering across the island to make the natural booms filled with bagasse and hair. The booms are working! See for yourself:
As you may have seen yesterday, the gov. has made it illegal to help in the Mahebourg waterfront. Don't know if they'll arrest people today. For the record, the authorities aren't doing much at all. The clean-up is a citizen-led initiative.
Last thing until 11am. If ever I tweet that I've been arrested, can I count on your support? Because international solidarity's the only thing that will help.
They're arresting people for memes, so now a series of tweets showing government incompetence...
They're arresting people for memes, so now a series of tweets showing government incompetence...
Back again. So, something pretty horrid happened last night. The PM was on TV; he was giggling with his entourage before his speech. Then, he spoke about 'harmful volunteers'. Enfin.
The oil is spreading. Today, volunteers are concentrating their work in the Vieux Grand Port and Falaise Rouge area. On social media, I hear that the oil's making its way up the North-east coast.
You can watch volunteers at work on the Rezistans ek Alternativ facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/reziste/videos/308517683827367/
Vieux Grand Port this morning. Pictures from the Ferney team:
Back! So, here are today's newspapers. A look at the news inside...
The PM said that experts were unable to remove the oil from the ship over the last two weeks because the weather was bad. They couldn't stabilise the hull due to the waves.
But Louis Thelva, a fisherman interviewed by the Week-End newspaper, says the sea is always dangerous here and that the authorities should have asked for their help: "It's not a question of good or bad weather, but a question of prowess of the sea and its currents."
Also: the tug boat that the government wanted to use to pull the ship away from the reef...is out of service.
And here's an interview of Amaury Rochecouste, operations manager at Immersub. He says the ship is breaking in two.
And here's an interview of Amaury Rochecouste, operations manager at Immersub. He says the ship is breaking in two.
Very worrying news: there are new cracks in the ship. Photo by Bruneau Laurette.
