The words of the Minister of Overseas Territories anger the residents of Guadeloupe, victims of the water crisis

While Guadeloupe is going through a major water crisis, Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs Philippe Vigier angered the archipelago’s residents on Wednesday by offering advice deemed inappropriate.

Recommendations that do not pass at all. For several weeks, the people of Guadeloupe have been suffering from a water crisis. In fact, several thousand of them turned out to be unfit for consumption.

When asked on Wednesday 25 October about this problem affecting Guadeloupe, which recently had to deal with Hurricane Tammy, which was recognized as a natural disaster, Philippe Vigier, Minister Delegate responsible for the Overseas Territories, wanted to offer his solutions. An approach considered clumsy. “You’re lucky because you have a minister who’s also a biologist, and he’ll give you good advice: turn on the water, heat it up and put it in the fridge,” he said on set.Abroad 1. This is a recommendation that was previously made by the Guadeloupe Rescue Association three weeks ago and was denounced at the time.

“insult”

This intervention does not appear to have had the desired effect. On the contrary, elected officials abroad have made no secret of their discontent. Starting with Olivier Serva, Liot’s deputy from Guadeloupe. “Minister Philippe Vigier’s (and biologist) proposal is an insult! We are in the twenty-first century! Did he heat water and then drink it during his visit to Guadeloupe?” protested the elected official.

The same reaction for Elie Caliver, the Socialist MP for the 4th district of Guadeloupe, who believes that “Minister Vigier is bordering on obscenity.”

Immediately upon his appointment, Philippe Vigier was criticized for his “lack of knowledge of the files,” according to some parliamentary sources. He is also regularly questioned in the National Assembly by elected officials who deplore the water problems that are increasing in some overseas regions.

In response to the crisis affecting Guadeloupe, the authorities announced on October 17 an investment plan worth 317 million euros over four years in the archipelago.