The Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, inaugurated on Saturday work aimed at strengthening access to drinking water in the commune of Kolda, as part of the National Program of 39,000 social connections. Among these connections, 5,000 are specifically intended for the Fouladou region.
The aim of social connection is to simplify and subsidize the connection of the most deprived households, by reducing costs or reducing administrative procedures. The official launch of the program took place in the Bouna Kane district, an area where water connection remains problematic.
Kolda faces inequalities in access to drinking water, which justifies its inclusion in the subsidies granted by the State, via the National Water Company of Senegal (SONES).
During his visit, the minister also visited the Illèle bridge, located on the Casamance river, where residents, accompanied by the mayor, expressed their wish to see the river revitalized or dredged. He then visited the current water treatment plant, where a ceremony marked the start of construction work on two boreholes, two water towers and the installation of 68 kilometers of pipes.
This work, according to the minister, will be carried out in parallel with the rehabilitation of the Kolda treatment station. They aim to remedy the production deficit through the exploitation of a freshwater body identified by the ministry’s services. In addition, the station will be modernized to reduce iron and chloride concentrations, in accordance with World Health Organization standards.
The mayor of Kolda, Mamadou Diao, alias Mame Boye, welcomed the state’s initiatives in favor of universal access to drinking water, emphasizing the ambition to meet the needs of all residents by 2050.
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Senegal
