On Monday, June 24th, a press conference was jointly chaired by Minister Flavien Joubert from the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change, and Environment, and Minister Anthony Derjaque, the Minister responsible for Transport. The conference addressed the significant challenges Seychelles faces due to erosion and shoreline degradation, exacerbated by sea-level rise, and inland flooding caused by coastal infrastructure, insufficient drainage capacity, and rapid uphill developments. The ministers highlighted how extreme weather events, occurring with increasing frequency, are intensifying these issues.
The press conference provided an overview of the upcoming projects designed to mitigate the impact on coastal infrastructure, including roads. Following a thorough assessment, the government has agreed to finance major projects in four severely impacted districts: Aux Cap, Beau Vallon, North East Point, and Anse La Blague. Minister Joubert emphasized that both soft measures, such as coastal re-vegetation, timber piling, dunes, beach nourishment, and earth drains, as well as hard measures like walls, concrete drains, and rock armoring, will be considered once the technical team concludes their assessments.
Minister Joubert highlighted the challenges of these projects, including access to financing and human resources, stressing that this is a national collective effort where every individual has a role to play to ensure the proper implementation of these projects. The total fund allocated under the Department of Environment, Climate Change, (DECC) for coastal projects in 2025 is 12.5 million Seychellois rupees. The government plans to source funds both locally and internationally to build more resilient and longer-lasting infrastructures. Immediate actions will be funded by the government budget as capital projects, while longer-term projects will seek various international climate funds.
Present at the press conference were Principal Secretary for Climate Change Mr. Tony Imaduwa, Principal Secretary for Transport Mr. Patrick Andre, Chief Executive Officer for Seychelles Land Transport Authority Mr. Parindah Herath, Chief Executive Officer of Seychelles Infrastructure Agency Mr. Gitesh Shah, Executive Director for the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs Mr. Romano Songoire, and Principal Climate Adaptation Officer Mr. Jean Claude Labrosse.