Residents of crisis-hit Mayotte warned to avoid 'defective' bottled water

A woman collects bottles of Cristaline drinking water from a distribution point in Mamoudzou, on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, on 19 February, 2024. AFP - JULIEN DE ROSA

People in the French overseas department of Mayotte battling a dual water crisis and cholera epidemic have been warned not to drink a batch of "defective" bottled water imported to the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Health authorities said water bottles from the Cristaline Elena brand with the M1 03/11/25 batch number "smelled of hydrocarbons" and were not safe for consumption.