The water crisis in Mayotte is getting worse. The prefecture has banned tap water consumption in parts of the archipelago because there are already unprecedented water shortages there. “Analytical results show the presence of heavy metals in the treated water, which are above the alarm thresholds.”announced the prefecture a statement Broadcast Tuesday, December 5th evening.

She adds that “The water is not drinkable and must under no circumstances be consumed for the following purposes: drinking, food preparation and oral hygiene”specifies that “Given the nature of the parameters recorded, the water is not drinkable either by boiling or by adding chlorine.”. New samples were taken on Tuesday and sent to a laboratory on mainland France to confirm this result.

According to Olivier Brahic, the general director of the Mayotte Regional Health Authority (ARS), who organized a press conference on Wednesday with the prefect Thierry Suquet, “Traces of lead were found in certain pipes” However, the origin of the problem is unknown. “We don’t have lead pipes, we don’t understand it.”continued the General Director of the ARS, who clarified this “The health risks are not immediate, but exist in the medium and long term.”.

Among the hypotheses put forward is the low level of reservoirs in the hills, while France’s poorest department is affected by an exceptional drought. “This is a hypothesis that has not been ruled out”admitted Olivier Brahic, Thierry Suquet took care of it for his part “If the deposits contain traces of heavy metals, we will not use them”.

In July, Estelle Youssouffa, LIOT MP from Mayotte, explained clarity to the National Assembly “When reserves are at their lowest, the water becomes concentrated in heavy metals and other minerals such as fluorine, manganese, arsenic or sulfates.”.

As Mayotte residents suffer unprecedented water shortages due to an exceptional drought, as well as a lack of infrastructure and investment, they already only have access to water on two out of three days.