Environment Statistics - Year 2017
Highlights
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission
1. GHG emissions went up by about 3% from 2016 to 2017. Gross emissions increased from 5,403 to 5,572 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Net emissions, after absorption by forest and land use practices, increased from 5,040 to 5,207 thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent.
2. In 2017, the energy sector accounted for the largest share of emissions (76%) followed by the waste sector (20%).
Solid Waste
3. In 2017, solid waste landfilled at Mare Chicose weighed 482,196 tonnes, 8.4% more than in 2016 (444,695 tonnes).
Land Use
4. The harvested area under sugar cane cultivation decreased by 2.9% from 51,476 hectares in 2016 to 49,973 hectares in 2017, while area under tea cultivation was 622 hectares, same as in 2016. A total of 7,780 hectares under food crops was harvested in 2017, representing an increase of 0.2% over the figure of 7,766 hectares in 2016.
Water
5. In 2017, the Island of Mauritius received 3,991 million cubic metres (Mm3) of water from rainfall, 12.9% higher when compared to 3,536 Mm3 in 2016.
6. Total water utilisation was estimated at 928 Mm3 in 2017. The agricultural sector accounted for 37% (344 Mm3), hydropower 34% (312 Mm3), while the remaining 29% (272 Mm3) was used by the domestic, industrial and tourism sectors.
Complaints
7. Complaints attended by the Pollution Prevention and Control Division of the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity, and Environment and Sustainable Development increased by 9.1% from 701 in 2016 to 765 in 2017. The complaints were mainly due to: noise (17%), air pollution (17%), solid waste (13%), odour (12%), bareland (10%) and waste water (10%).
