Africa report
Senegal: the desalination plant planned on the Dakar coast continues to cause controversy
Audio 02:21
The construction of the seawater desalination plant at the foot of the Mamelles hill has provoked the discontent of coastal restorers and the concern of fishermen in the area.
© RFI/Théa Ollivier
By: Théa Olivier
3 mins
The desalination plant project planned on the Dakar coast, at the bottom of the Mamelles hill, should make it possible to solve a major water cut problem in Dakar and to meet the very high demand for drinking water.
While beach attendants and restaurateurs are being summoned this Friday, May 6 to discuss their departure from the beach in order to make way for the pipes and the pumping station, the mobilization of a collective of local residents is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. UT to say no to this desalination plant which they believe is harmful to the environment.
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From our correspondent in Dakar,
Like every weekend, Arnold Abongo enjoys a sunny Sunday with friends on the beach, lying on a colorful mat.
A little further on sits a sign "
no to the desalination plant
" which caught the attention of the young Congolese who had been living in Dakar for a few months.
“
Me, it makes me sad to see this project which will kill this atmosphere and this meeting point in Dakar.
Dakar is known for being a cosmopolitan city with lots of communities.
The beach is a meeting place and killing that, I find it very unfair
, ”laments Arnold Abongo.
In his restaurant built from recycled wood which is in danger of disappearing, Amadou Maguette Dieng - nicknamed Max - is running a petition to raise awareness among users about the dangers of this factory.
“
There is noise pollution, olfactory pollution.
The salt will be discharged into the sea in a breeding environment.
So, we find that abnormal and we respond by saying “
no to the factory
”.
We don't want compensation, we don't want money, we don't want pollution.
We don't want them to destroy our harbour, Dakar is quite polluted...
”, emphasizes Max.
The threatened environment?
Once the sea water has been transformed into fresh water, the desalination plant discharges brine, that is to say hot water with a high concentration of salt.
This residue is harmful to the environment and to marine ecosystems, according to a United Nations report from January 2019.
Fishermen are therefore worried about this fish breeding area.
Omar Diagne, president of the SOS Littoral association, also recalls that the Mamelles site is protected by the law on historical monuments.
“
The site is a historical heritage because there is a volcano that dates from the Quaternary era.
The site of the Mamelles lighthouse is an archaeological site because there are stratified rocks.
So the law is flouted
, ”he demonstrates.
“A public investment of general interest”
But this desalination plant with a capacity of 100,000 cubic meters per day will be able to respond to recurring water cuts in the Dakar region.
El Hadj Ada Ndao, of the National Water Company of Senegal (SONES) in charge of the project, wants to be reassuring about the negative impacts of this plant and the accessibility of the beach to the populations, except during the work period.
“
We don't build hotels.
We are talking about a water desalination plant which will produce water, a source of life.
It is a public investment of general interest.
There is no risk because the dilution of brine at this discharge point, the ideal depth of 20 m, already makes it possible to find the same characteristics of seawater in terms of salinity, but also in terms of temperature
”, assures El Hadj Ada Ndao.
The first stone will be laid on May 31 for the commissioning of the plant in 2025.
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Senegal
Water
Environment