Diourbel, July 1 (APS) – The organizing committee of the Grand Magal of Touba, the religious event commemorating the departure into exile of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké (1853-1927), the founder of Mouridism, presented, on Monday, its concerns regarding health, hygiene, sanitation and security to the authorities of the Diourbel region (center), during a regional development committee (CRD) dedicated to this event.
The organizing committee of the Magal of Touba is led by the spokesperson of the general caliph of the Mourides, Serigne Bassirou Mbacké Abdou Khadre during this meeting.
The meeting, chaired by the governor of Diourbel, Ibrahima Fall, took place in the presence of representatives of the decentralized technical services of the State.
The organizing committee first called for all services at Cheikhoul Khadim Hospital to be made functional. It also requested the completion of work at Ndamatou Hospital and other health facilities in the holy city of Touba, to avoid medical evacuations outside the capital of Mouridism.
He also called for the establishment of advanced medical posts, the increase in the ambulance fleet and the organization of a cleaning day at the Cheikhoul Khadim hospital.
Similarly, he called on the National Integrated Waste Management Company (Sonaged) to carry out cleaning operations in Touba and to install standardized collection points to improve the living environment.
The president of the organizing committee of the Grand Magal, Serigne Bassirou Mbacké Abdou Khadre, reiterated the urgency of redoubling efforts to provide a solution to the water supply and sanitation of Touba.
He recalled that floods have become a worrying phenomenon in Touba, with rainwater invading many concessions each year.
He also stressed the importance of deploying significant resources to deal with flooding in this part of the Mbacké department, particularly during the Magal period.
He also focused on the correct supply of electricity to Touba before, during and after the celebration of the Magal.
The decentralized technical services of the State, each in its own capacity, have undertaken to make the necessary arrangements for the organization of this religious event on the scale of the holy man.
The hygiene service has promised to organize a disinfection operation of the great mosque of Touba and the pilgrims’ accommodation sites. It intends to set up a system to monitor the quality of consumer products.
The National Sanitation Office (ONAS) has announced the cleaning of the canals and the start of sanitation works, which are scheduled to be completed before the Magal.
The Office of Rural Drilling (OFOR) announced that it will take the necessary steps for the proper functioning of the Touba boreholes. It has undertaken to provide the organizing committee with water tanks and tanker trucks to ensure a proper water supply to the religious city.
The governor of Diourbel, Ibrahima Fall, at the end of the meeting, invited the technical services to respect the commitments made before the organizing committee of the Grand Magal of Touba.
He assured that the defense and security forces will take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of pilgrims before, during and after the Magal.
The head of the regional executive insisted on the sanitation aspect, stressing that conservative measures are necessary despite the work undertaken by the public authorities.
MS/ASG/FKS/BK
