Lama/Mbanane (Kaèl), January 16 (APS) – The inhabitants of Lama and Mbanane, villages in the commune of Kaèl in the department of Mbacké (center), are delighted with the access to water and electricity, basic social services which have greatly contributed to the improvement of their living conditions.
In 2013, the Emergency Community Development Program (PUDC) carried out drilling in Lama with a total cost of 113 million 699 thousand 200 FCFA. The structure of more than 30 meters polarizes 10 villages in the area. This allows 2,448 residents to have access to drinking water for their various daily needs.
“Ten years ago, we wasted time fetching water on foot or with mounts; drilling has made our lives easier because you just have to open your tap to have water,” declared Marie Faye, a resident of the village of Lama, located in the commune of Kaèl.
In front of the members of a Burundian delegation who came to draw inspiration from the experience of the PUDC, Ms. Faye recalled that the women of the village traveled kilometers to get water for domestic tasks, the nearest area being at 10 km.
According to Aliou Faye, the village chief, “the women encountered many difficulties in obtaining water for domestic needs as well as the shepherds for grazing, but now everything has become easier thanks to the Lama borehole”.
El Hadj Bâ, the mayor of Kaèl, welcomed the presence of the Burundian delegation, inviting African states to work on the accessibility of basic social services for the “most deprived” populations and the “most deprived” areas. ‘the most eccentric’.
”It would give us great pleasure if tomorrow we have feedback that you have achieved something like this in your country,” he said.
According to him, if the Burundians succeed in this challenge, other countries will also be able to draw inspiration from their example.
The Burundian delegation is carrying out a mission from January 13 to 16, to Senegal, to better understand the achievements of the PUDC in the areas of Fatick, Diourbel and Thiès.
After Lama, the delegation went to Mbanane, a locality which has access to electricity thanks to the PUDC.
This project, with a total cost of 61 million 987 thousand, impacted around 400 people, with home connections, in addition to public lighting.
Electricity has made it possible to improve the study conditions of students who previously had to use candles for lighting. Women can carry out income-generating activities such as selling ice cream.
The electrification of this village has also put an end to livestock theft, a recurring problem in the area. In fact, lighting the paths provides visibility over the entire village, which discourages criminals.
According to the mayor of Kaèl, El Hadj Bâ, electrification which has become a “necessity” is a “development tool”.
The coordinator of the PUDC, Cheikh Diop recalled that the objective of the program is to “do everything so that the populations live in better conditions and can have access to basic social services”. “The results are convincing and the populations have the right to have what they need to live,” he said.
According to him, “it is a pride to see another country come and draw inspiration from the work accomplished by the PUDC”.
Frédéric Nimubona, head of the Burundian delegation, pleaded for African municipalities to be provided with the means to take charge of their own development.
”We want to resume the PUDC format in Burundi because we have built infrastructure in the country but we have somewhat forgotten the rural areas,” he maintained.
The government of Senegal, with technical support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), launched the PUDC in 2015.
This program aims to improve rural populations’ access to basic social services through the establishment of socio-economic infrastructure, while promoting the involvement of local stakeholders in the economic and social development of their localities.
MFD/OID/ASB
