Guadeloupe in murky waters: French islands hit by wastewater treatment scandal
Located in the heart of the French Caribbean, Guadeloupe is best known for its beaches, rivers and waterfalls. But beyond the postcard image, more than 70 percent of wastewater treatment plants in the island are out of order – or nearly – despite significant funding, particularly from the European Union. The result is a health and environmental catastrophe that threatens all the bathing waters in this French overseas archipelago. FRANCE 24's Karina Chabour investigated years of poor management.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - In the heart of the French Caribbean, Guadeloupe,
00:19 with its beaches, rivers, and waterfalls.
00:22 But beyond the postcard.
00:24 - You can spot the problem immediately.
00:27 The system doesn't work.
00:28 It still flows quietly into the water.
00:30 - An ecological time bomb and a health hazard.
00:36 - When the mangrove opens up,
00:39 there's a spike in the infections.
00:41 - Yet a lot of money has been poured in.
00:44 The EU came to the rescue.
00:46 - The amount allocated for water management
00:49 was roughly 50 million euros.
00:51 - Misused subsidies.
00:53 - There's been too much favoritism.
00:56 And today there is, I suspect,
00:58 around 60 million euros in deficits.
01:02 - Guadeloupe, the island of beautiful waters,
01:05 maybe not for much longer.
01:07 Philippe Ramdini is filled with anger.
01:21 The opposition councillor wants change.
01:26 - There's a lot of talk about water,
01:28 but a huge ecological catastrophe is unfolding in Guadeloupe
01:32 with sanitation problems.
01:34 - He takes us to the Capistère water treatment plant.
01:37 The facility is supposed to treat
01:39 the sewage of 16,000 residents.
01:42 - So you see the files on the floor?
01:47 No one works here.
01:48 That's why I call it the zombies office.
01:54 There are probably some important documents lying there.
01:56 This shows us the whole process.
02:04 And that's where the water's discharged
02:07 into the environment.
02:08 - The plant is about 100 meters away from the sea.
02:14 It cost nearly 10 million euros.
02:16 - The whole system has been abandoned.
02:22 This plant was opened in 2013.
02:24 The EU helped to finance 60% of it.
02:27 - According to this document
02:31 provided by the European Commission,
02:33 the EU has forked out over 5 million euros
02:36 to help build this plant.
02:38 10 years later, it's in ruins.
02:41 EU members rely on Brussels to subsidize
02:47 the improvement of the sewage systems.
02:50 We talk to the man in charge of funding
02:52 for the French overseas department.
02:54 - My name is Pierre Dierlevenger.
02:59 I'm a European Commission administrator.
03:02 - We tell him about the abandoned water plant.
03:05 - I can't tell you why.
03:10 They didn't tell you on site why this plant never worked?
03:18 - Because it's the first time I've heard about it.
03:20 - You didn't know?
03:23 - I wasn't aware of it, no.
03:25 I can't answer your questions, unfortunately.
03:29 Well, that's too bad.
03:30 - Philippe Ramdini blames local authorities
03:35 for not looking after the water plant properly.
03:38 The urban area south of Guadeloupe
03:40 is called Grand Sud Caraïbe.
03:42 It's home to 77,000 residents.
03:45 Authorities there are responsible for sanitation.
03:48 Yet according to Ramdini,
03:49 the money was spent on fictitious jobs instead.
03:52 - 280 people work for the urban area of Grand Sud Caraïbe.
03:57 Half of those people show up for work,
04:00 but actually, they don't have any work to do.
04:04 They come in, but they don't have any work.
04:06 - Government employees paid for doing nothing.
04:10 In a report published in 2021,
04:14 the regional audit office raised the alarm.
04:17 Working hours below the legal limit,
04:19 recruitment of numerous staff without identified needs,
04:23 personnel costs surged by 46% in four years.
04:27 Another warning, a lack of technical management
04:30 essential for the proper functioning of a plant.
04:33 In 2019, the president of the audit office
04:39 admitted the failure of local authorities.
04:43 - There are operational issues.
04:45 We can see that local authorities have difficulty
04:48 in sharing responsibilities regarding water
04:50 and sanitation in the area.
04:52 It's obvious that local authorities
04:54 are not doing their job properly.
04:56 - At the heart of the scandal, Lucette Michaud-Chevrie.
05:01 - She's my niece.
05:04 I'm preparing her for the takeover.
05:07 - Former mayor, former regional president,
05:09 minister under Jacques Chirac,
05:11 Michaud-Chevrie is dubbed the Iron Lady of the Caribbean.
05:15 - I know I haven't stolen anything.
05:19 I've been generous.
05:20 If I had to do it all again, I would.
05:22 - Her political career was marred by legal woes.
05:27 In April 2022, she was brought to court
05:32 for her management of Grand Sud Caraïbe.
05:34 (upbeat music)
05:36 In the dock, Michaud-Chevrie, local government executives
05:48 and business leaders.
05:49 15 defendants accused of embezzlement of public funds
05:54 and influence peddling.
05:56 Before the trial, one of her former colleagues
05:58 who wished to remain anonymous
06:00 described a network of corruption.
06:03 - Lucette Michaud-Chevrie knew very well
06:07 how to use businesses to finance her electoral campaigns
06:10 and her personal expenses like renovations at her home
06:14 or in her apartments in Paris.
06:17 It wasn't just money
06:18 from the wastewater treatment plants.
06:20 It was also major projects
06:21 on drinking water and sanitation.
06:24 These were public contracts
06:26 ranging from 1 million to 3 million euros a year.
06:29 (speaking in foreign language)
06:33 - According to the prosecution,
06:36 the scam started in 2010 until 2017.
06:40 (speaking in foreign language)
06:42 - If you want a deal, you cough up some cash
06:44 or else you don't get the deal.
06:46 (speaking in foreign language)
06:50 - Michaud-Chevrie passed away in 2021
06:53 before the conviction.
06:55 She left a community on the verge of bankruptcy
06:58 with a deficit of more than 71 million euros
07:01 according to the regional finance watchdog.
07:03 We have since discovered that the Capyster Ghost Plant
07:09 is far from being an isolated case.
07:12 The prefect, the French government representative
07:15 in Guadeloupe, has confirmed that 13
07:17 out of the 18 sewage plants do not work properly,
07:20 as seen in these amateur videos.
07:24 (eerie music)
07:26 Europe is the most significant financial supporter,
07:32 spending 65 million euros in nine years.
07:36 (phone ringing)
07:38 From Brussels, Pierre Delevanger calls us back.
07:42 He made some inquiries and according to him,
07:44 the Capyster water plant was let down by the prefect.
07:47 And therefore, the French state.
07:54 - The project was indeed declared completed in 2017
07:57 by the prefect.
07:59 So it's up to him as a representative
08:00 of the French government to get the money back.
08:03 We will ask France for explanations,
08:05 but I would prefer to redo the interview
08:09 so I can report to our bosses
08:11 how I became aware of this case.
08:13 - At the time, the prefect was responsible
08:20 for checking that European funds were used correctly.
08:24 On several occasions, he called on local authorities
08:27 in Grand Sud-Caraibes to restore the Capyster water plant,
08:31 as well as those in Saint-Rose and Petit-Bourg.
08:34 But nothing was done.
08:36 The treatment plants continued
08:37 to discharge contaminated water.
08:40 On the ground, we noticed that the other stations
08:45 were also affected.
08:47 They're smaller and don't feature on the official map.
08:50 (dramatic music)
08:53 Guillaume is part of a water users association.
08:58 He takes us to this tiny sewage treatment plant.
09:01 - I didn't see this the first time.
09:07 - This plant is supposed to treat the wastewater
09:11 from neighboring houses and a nursing home.
09:14 It's not been upgraded for years.
09:19 It looks like mud.
09:20 It's actually compact fecal remains
09:26 that haven't been treated yet.
09:28 - Around 50 meters away, the beach.
09:34 Swimming is officially banned here.
09:36 The regional health agency warns
09:38 that the sea is contaminated with E. coli bacteria,
09:42 with levels nearly five times higher
09:44 than the authorized threshold.
09:46 Yet everyone ignores the rules.
09:49 (speaking in foreign language)
09:51 - It's been going on for years.
09:53 Every time the signs are put up, they're removed.
09:56 Anyway, we still swim.
09:58 I know there's fecal matter,
10:03 but we just rinse it off and life goes on.
10:06 - Residents, tourists, and shopkeepers all close a blind eye.
10:14 - What do I do if swimming is banned?
10:18 I'm not going to close my place to stay at home.
10:21 There's no work in Guadeloupe.
10:23 That's our only heritage and we're stuck with it.
10:26 - In 2022, 15% of beaches were either closed
10:35 or not recommended for swimming.
10:36 According to the regional health agency,
10:40 the situation is likely to worsen if no solution is found.
10:44 A threat to tourism and a public health concern,
10:48 as seen on this popular surfing beach.
10:50 In July, 2021, fish were found in distress
10:55 due to discharges from a nearby treatment plant.
10:58 This surf club manager says it's a recurring issue
11:04 during the rainy season.
11:06 - So when the main grove is closed, there's no problem.
11:11 It's only when the main grove opens up
11:13 that we'll have ear infections or something similar.
11:15 That's why I believe there's a sense of urgency
11:18 to deal with a wastewater treatment plant.
11:20 - Faced with poor water management in Guadeloupe,
11:24 the archipelago was given another chance.
11:27 In 2021, France agreed to fork out
11:30 320 million euros over four years,
11:34 including 73 million euros from European funds.
11:38 Regional authorities now oversee these funds
11:40 instead of the prefect.
11:42 A significant challenge for its vice president.
11:45 - We can continue to renovate,
11:50 but if we don't have anyone to maintain the water systems,
11:52 it's pointless.
11:54 That's the lesson to be learned
11:55 from these 13 treatment plants.
11:58 - This time, the French state is taking charge.
12:05 Paris sent engineers to supervise the work
12:07 and picked a director for the reorganization
12:10 of the water system.
12:11 This in a bid to reassure the European Union.
12:15 No sanctions are planned against France
12:17 and the money spent on the ghost facilities
12:19 will not have to be reimbursed.
12:22 The EU will even release more funds.
12:25 When contacted, the commission declined to comment.
12:29 Meanwhile, Pierre Delevagne,
12:31 the head of the European funds for Guadeloupe,
12:33 retired with honors.
12:35 - Madame Juliane,
12:36 Mr. Roussard will be taking his leave.
12:39 - Thank you very much.
12:40 I will be back in a few minutes.
12:42 Thank you.
12:45 - In the meantime,
12:52 the consequences on the environment are devastating.
12:55 Thibaut Roussard is a marine ecologist.
12:58 He says the coral reefs are dying.
13:04 - The problem with waste water
13:05 is that corals are soaked with water
13:07 that's not very good for them.
13:09 And as soon as there's a peak in bacteria or viruses,
13:12 they fall ill.
13:13 And generally, it's a disaster.
13:15 And that's what's happening right now.
13:18 - For the scientist,
13:19 life in the ocean and on land is at risk.
13:22 - When we no longer have corals,
13:26 we end up with a rocky seabed.
13:28 There's no more food for the fish.
13:30 And so, fewer fishing resources.
13:33 - The clock is ticking in Guadeloupe.
13:36 Since we started filming,
13:37 coral reefs have been placed at the highest alert level.
13:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]