In Guadeloupe, guaranteeing access to water for farmers to face drought

Supporting local agriculture with an environmentally-friendly solution

For several years, Guadeloupe has been affected by increasingly intense periods of drought, caused by global warming, which impact the activities of the region's farmers and breeders.

SUEZ teams, alongside Guadeloupe’s regional and local councils, are responding to a major challenge: guaranteeing water to farmers while ensuring the preservation of the archipelago's rich ecosystem.

of forest area, 40% of the territory

(source: Ministère de l’Agriculture)

of agricultural land, 30% of the territory

(source: Ministère de l’Agriculture)

A rainfall deficit can reach 80% in certain regions of guadeloupe

(source : DEAL Guadeloupe)

A major dam with technical and environmental specificities

Located in the municipality of Goyave, the Moreau dam is an earthen structure with 500,000 m³ of embankments, capable of storing up to 1,000,000 m³ of water for agricultural irrigation. Its construction began in 2014, after several years of feasibility studies on the project and its impact on the environment. In complex geotechnical and seismic contexts, this large-scale structure is a real technical feat, built on a foundation of residual rock of volcanic origin formed at the site through alteration, i.e. without transport, the embankment 255 metres long and 27 metres high, made with clay and sand, will provide the water needed for agricultural production in Basse-Terre during droughts.

Our teams ensured optimal environmental coordination of natural environments:

Protecting the surrounding plant life by transplanting rare species.
Protecting aquatic wildlife by maintaining a constant flow downstream from the dam in the Zombi ravine.
Integrating the project into the landscape by restoring and rehabilitating the site and the surrounding area following the work, replanting local plant species.
Training, raising awareness and following up the contractors to ensure an environmentally-friendly construction site.
Limiting disruption for neighbours by the construction of a specific track for work and convoys limited by the preferential use of materials present on site.

The SUEZ Consulting teams have been supporting the economic development of the overseas territories for 30 years.