Approaching the rainy season in West Africa, Senegal strengthens its flood prevention efforts thanks to coordinated actions involving government agencies, local authorities and the inhabitants.
Dakar, May 3 (Xinhua) – Approaching the rainy season in West Africa, Senegal strengthens its flood prevention efforts thanks to coordinated actions involving government agencies, local authorities and the inhabitants.
The National Sanitation Office of Senegal (ONAS) recently launched a special campaign upstream of the rainy season in order to cure and drain the evacuation channels in the capital Dakar as well as in the rest of the country. By mobilizing a large workforce as well as heavy machines and by collaborating with local communities, this initiative aims to minimize the risk of urban floods.
Dakar is the most densely populated area in Senegal and one of the most exposed to floods during the rainy season. According to meteorological data, the rainy season in Dakar generally begins at the end of June and continues until the end of October, the risk period extending from early July to mid-October.
In the Dakar suburbs of Guédiawaye, workers with shovels, assisted by pump trucks and shovelters, are busy cleaning the prone areas to floods. They remove the garbage and sediments from the ditches to ensure good flow of water.
“We have deployed technical staff and heavy machines, including pumping vehicles, to fully clean the blocked evacuation pipes, tanks and nozzles,” said Djibril Samb, an ONAS agent supervising operations in the field.
During the campaign launching ceremony, the Senegalese Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, stressed that, although the government has invested significant resources in the fight against floods, the cooperation of the population remains just as essential.
He urged the inhabitants not to throw waste from the streets, not to obstruct the waterways or damage drainage infrastructure, and encouraged them to actively participate in community cleaning and maintenance efforts.
Since 2012, Senegal has implemented the National Flood Management Plan to improve its response capacity to such disasters. This plan provides for the construction of rainwater drainage infrastructure in Dakar and other regions, which has significantly reduced floods in many areas.
ASTOU MBENGUE, head of data collection at the Senegalese Federation of Residents’ Associations, called on the government to make the development of urban drainage a priority and to accelerate improvements in wastewater and rainwater evacuation networks.
She also suggested that the authorities associate the inhabitants with all stages of the design, realization and maintenance of projects, in order to set up a lasting and lasting mechanism.■
 Senegal intensifies multi -party efforts to prevent urban floods (report) – Xinhua){kind=link}