406. Mauritius continues to make significant progress in developing and implementing policies, and strategies for the sound management of the environment and the promotion of sustainable development. An Environment Policy, Strategy and Action plan for the coming decade is being formulated. The framework for the Integrated Management which were previously developed are currently being implemented. A Sustainable Integrated Development Plan for Rodrigues is being implemented. Through the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Mechanism, proper consideration is given to the potential environmental impacts of development projects. 407. Conscious that development brings along challenges such as air pollution, increasing waste, degradation of the environment, poor sanitation, housing shortages, traffic jams among others, the Government is focusing efforts to address the latter. In this respect, in August 2018, the National Environment Fund has been revamped under the Environment Protection Act (EPA) through the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018. The Board administering the fund is composed of representatives of various ministries notably a Deputy Financial Secretary, as Chairperson, the Supervising Officer of the Ministry responsible for the subject of environment, the Supervising Officer of the Ministry responsible for the subjects of local government and outer islands, the Supervising Officer of the Ministry responsible for the subjects of public infrastructure and land transport, the Supervising Officer of the Ministry responsible for the subject of tourism, a representative of the Land Drainage Authority established under Land Drainage Authority Act 2017; a representative of the National Development Unit of the Prime Minister’s Office; and the Accountant-General. The Fund also draws from a broader source notably contributions from the private sector and international organisations. Moreover, the objects of the Fund have been extended to finance projects, programmes and schemes relating, inter alia, to rehabilitation, protection and management of beaches, lagoons and coral reefs; flood management and cleaning, rehabilitation and upgrading of drains, bridges and rivers; solid waste management; landslide management and disaster risk reduction The Government has made an initial contribution of Rs 2 billion to the National Environment Fund from the Consolidated Fund. The regrouping of environment-related programmes under one roof will facilitate mobilization of funds at the international level, especially from friendly countries with which the state of Mauritius has longstanding and very good relations. Moreover, the Fund is expected to bring visibility to various development partners on the international front. ACCESS TO W ATER 408. Almost all Mauritians have access to potable water across the island comprising six water supply zones. The water distribution network in Mauritius is relatively old with an estimated 39%, about 1600 km, requiring replacement. The Government has embarked on a massive pipe replacement programme around the island to address this problem. Some 443.25 km pipes in most entail regions have been replaced to date. 142