Dakar, 1is Jul (APS) – The Director General of the National Sanitation Office of Senegal (ONAS), Cheikh Dieng, began an operation in Dakar on Monday to replace 3,000 stolen or damaged manhole covers.
The operation began in the municipalities of Rufisque-Est and Grand Yoff, in the Dakar region.
“We have a target of renewing 3,000 lids […] We chose to start with the commune of Rufisque-Est, where there is a strong demand for the replacement of these stolen or damaged covers,” said Mr. Dieng.
Several cities in the country will benefit from it, he said.
The commune of Rufisque-Est needs 100 manhole covers, he said, specifying that 2 or even 3% of these objects were “damaged”, the percentage of those which were “stolen” being higher.
“The proportion of damaged covers in the sewerage network is around 2 to 3%, compared to a higher volume for those that have been stolen,” said the director general of ONAS.
Cheikh Dieng denounced the “uncivil practices” which caused the “harmful consequences” of the disappearance of these accessories used to evacuate wastewater and rainwater.
”Without the covers, the sewerage network can be subject to obstructions, blockages or backflow of water through the introduction […] of solid waste,” he explained.
Once the covers are blown away or damaged, the manhole covers can cause bodily harm, the ONAS director general noted.
The mayor of Rufisque-Est, Élimane Sembène, praised the collaboration between ONAS and the said municipality.
“The renewal of manhole covers is a request from the population,” he said, promising to carry out an awareness campaign on behalf of the town hall on the dangers of the disappearance of these accessories.
ONAS will take action against the “perpetrators of these malicious acts with incalculable consequences for the sanitation network,” assured its general director.
”These metal lids […] are being carried out by people who do not care at all about preserving public property,” he said, stressing that the phenomenon exists in many cities.
AB/ESF
