Just weeks before the rainy season, the Director General of the National Sanitation Office of Senegal (ONAS), Séni Diène, began an inspection tour of pre-rainy construction sites in Dakar on Monday. Dredging operations, launched in mid-March, are now nearly 50% complete in the capital. But while the infrastructure is being prepared, human behavior remains the weak link: illegal dumping in canals, encroachment on structures... local authorities and elected officials are sounding the alarm and calling on the population to do their part in the fight against flooding.

Three months of preparation to secure the capital

Launched in the second half of March, ONAS's Pre-Winter Operations (OPH) cover the systematic cleaning of pipes and thorough maintenance of pumping stations. The technical rationale is clear: intervening too early risks the canals filling with sediment before the first rains; intervening too late forces one to deal with emergencies.

The Director General, visiting three key sites on Monday, June 29 — the Ouakam Canal, the Catchment Area Basin and the National Arena Canal — expressed his satisfaction while reaffirming the requirement for anticipation set by the highest authorities of the State: “The fight against flooding is not solely the responsibility of ONAS. It primarily involves local authorities, community stakeholders, and administrative authorities,” declared Séni Diène.

#Strategic infrastructure under high pressure

The catchment area basin, whose capacity has been increased to 250,000 m³ thanks to the construction of a new retaining wall, has allowed residents of Castors, Liberté 6, Derklé, and neighboring housing estates to get through the last two rainy seasons without major flooding. Along with the Grand Yoff basin, it forms the backbone of the water drainage system for several northern districts of Dakar.

For its part, the Ouakam Canal drains rainwater from Almadies and Ngor to the coastal outfall. Located in an area of high land pressure, it regularly suffers from encroachment by housing developments and illegal dumping. Further east, the National Arena Canal plays a key ecological role for the Pikine department, an area where the water table rises critically during heavy rainfall.

The crucial challenge of civic behavior

At the Pikine site, the deputy prefect of the department addressed the problem directly: the open canals are regularly used as illegal dumps, forcing technical teams to clean up areas that have already been dredged. "Work alone will not be enough," she warned, calling for collective awareness among the local residents: "The long-term success of these operations depends on the support and responsibility of the entire population."

The Director General of ONAS also issued an urgent appeal to municipalities and community stakeholders, urging them to become the true "guardians of the drainage systems and retention basins." This shared responsibility was strongly reiterated by the instructions of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Prime Minister Al Aminou Lo, and Minister of Water and Sanitation Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, as the first major rains approached.