Cyclone Chido, which hit Mayotte on December 14, 2024, left the archipelago in a state of unprecedented devastation. Blowing at over 200 km/h, the winds caused extensive damage, destroying essential infrastructure and leaving the population in a critical situation.
Faced with this situation, the Veolia Foundation mobilized, sending material and human resources to support the production of drinking water. With its humanitarian partners, the French Red Cross (and its Plateforme d'intervention régionale de l'Océan Indien-PIROI) and the NGO Solidarités International, it multiplied the missions of Veoliaforce volunteers over several weeks. Some twenty Veolia experts, made available under the Veolia Foundation's skills sponsorship scheme, took turns in Mayotte.
Working alongside the French Red Cross
In the days following the disaster, the first expert joined the French Red Cross emergency response teams (ERU) mobilized on the ground to propose an emergency water production strategy. He was soon joined by three Veoliaforce volunteers from Veolia Water France and Runéo, the Group's water and wastewater subsidiary in Reunion.
The first hours in the field were dedicated to reconnaissance of sites in preparation for the deployment of water purification stations: Aquaforces. These mobile treatment units, designed by the Veolia Foundation for humanitarian contexts, deliver drinking water in just a few hours.
After conducting assessments in the north, center and south of the island to prioritize needs, Veoliaforce volunteers assigned to the French Red Cross deployed two Aquaforces 2000, capable of covering the drinking water needs of 2,000 people.
In M'Tsamboro, in the north-west of the island, water from a borehole was treated. In M'Tsapere, a district of the capital Grand Mamoudzou, another Aquaforce 2000 was installed at the top of a river. Equipped with distribution ramps, it supplies the population as well as temporary water tanks. This equipment goes hand in hand with a water quality analysis laboratory, provided with each unit.
Also with the French Red Cross, three volunteers arrived in the first week of January, including one from OTV (a Veolia subsidiary), to take over from the experts back in France. The production of drinking water continued, with a succession of volunteer rotations throughout January and February. The action was carried out in coordination with the authorities and the Sécurité Civile, aiming for maximum efficiency by adjusting to observed needs.
Veoliaforce skills sponsorship
Veoliaforce skills sponsorship is a way for the Veolia Foundation to make the expertise of Veolia employees available to the Foundation's NGO partners. The employee goes on mission during his or her working hours on behalf of the Veolia Foundation. They continue to be remunerated as if they were doing their usual job.
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Aquaforces from the Veolia Foundation
Mobile water purification units designed for humanitarian contexts, Aquaforces can treat fresh or brackish water in just a few hours. Designed to adapt to the specificities of each field, they are regularly deployed in the field. The Aquaforce 2000, one of the units in the range, covers the water needs of 2,000 people.
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A strong presence alongside the NGO Solidarités International
The arrival of a Veoliaforce volunteer alongside Solidarités International, shortly before Christmas, made it possible to secure access to water, check the drinking water and sanitation supply to medical centers and emergency shelters, and raise people's awareness of the need to avoid using unsafe water. In the heart of the bangas, the aim is to stem the risk of pandemics, particularly cholera, which has increased with the onset of the rainy season and the more voluminous run-off on the ground. Other volunteers were seconded to Solidarités International in January to continue connecting as many homes as possible to water supplies.
These operations for the benefit of the people of Mahor are made possible by the unfailing commitment of Veoliaforce employees who are made available to the Foundation during their working hours by Veolia France, Runéo and OTV. The work carried out with humanitarian partners and the pre-positioning of Aquaforce stations in La Réunion for the cyclone season have been decisive.
Aquaforces pre-positioned
The Veolia Foundation is stepping up the internationalization of its actions. It is launching the development of international hubs to facilitate the projection of resources made available to humanitarian partners. In early December, several Aquaforces were transported to the French Red Cross' PIROI (Plateforme d'Intervention Régionale de l'Océan Indien) premises and stored there. They were transported to Mayotte in the days following the passage of cyclone Chido.