Dakar, June 5 (APS) – The Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, declared Tuesday in Keur Massar that all the necessary work in terms of sanitation works and works is in progress. being done to mitigate and relieve populations in the event of flooding.
”The commitment that we can make to the populations is that everything that needs to be done in terms of work before wintering is being done,” said Mr. Diéye.
He spoke with journalists at the end of a several-hour visit to flood-prone sites in the suburbs of Dakar and ongoing sanitation works sites.
The minister began his tour with the catchment area where he visited the rainwater retention basin.
”We have seen first-hand the reprofiling work of the basin and we are reassured to see that all measures have been taken so that wintering goes relatively well in terms of this infrastructure,” he said.
”We cannot predict what will happen, we cannot guarantee that there will be no problems. But we can say that all the arrangements that need to be made now are being made,” he insisted.
At the catchment area, he gave the shortest completion times so that all this work of reprofiling the basin could be done quickly.
Cheikh Tidiane Dièye then went to Thiaroye Gare to the very place where the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, had officially launched on Saturday, the first edition of the National Day of Mobilization against Floods.
On site, he was also able to see first-hand that the work is in progress. He declared that the companies in charge of carrying out the sanitation works on this site are very aware of the issues and the urgency since these sites are backed by the Pikine hospital.
On this site, there were many difficulties linked to flooding in the past. “So this year, we are keen to relieve the staff and patients of this hospital,” he assured.
The minister also visited other sensitive areas in the commune of Diamaguene, Sicap-Mbao, at exit 10 of the toll highway, in Rufisque, Niague, and Keur Massar south and north.
At the end of this tour, he said he was “quite satisfied” with what he saw concerning the work in progress but also with “the commitment and support of the communities to provide solutions to the floods”.
He says he hopes, with all the work that is being done, that the State will be able to adequately relieve the populations even in the event of a rainy winter as announced by the National Agency for Civil Aviation and Meteorology ( ANACIM).
The minister made it clear that despite all these efforts, “we cannot guarantee that there will be no floods”.
This visit to the sites and construction sites in progress will continue to “ensure that the work is done at the indicated pace” in order to “not make the mistake of forgetting something that we had to do”.
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