The Saint-Louis Emergency Recovery and Resilience Project (SERRP), launched in 2018 to reduce, among other things, the vulnerability of populations living on the Langue de Barbarie to coastal risks, is now entering its final phase. This ambitious climate resilience project will have made it possible to offer permanent housing solutions to families who lost their homes following the storm surges of August 2017 and February 2018, and to families still living in the 20m strip at high risk of coastal erosion.

The prefect of Saint-Louis, Abou Sow, chaired a meeting of the Departmental Development Committee (CDD) on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, to finalize preparations for the demolition of houses located on the 20-meter coastal strip of the Langue de Barbarie, whose owners have already been relocated to Diougop. The vacated spaces will be developed with socio-economic facilities that are resilient to storm surges and coastal erosion.

An operation to secure vulnerable neighborhoods

"We have reached an important milestone. This involves the demolition of houses whose owners have been compensated or rehoused on the Diougop resettlement site," the prefect declared during this meeting, which brought together government services, the municipality, and representatives of the affected populations.

This intervention is part of the urban requalification project aimed at: (i) securing the districts of Guet Ndar, Ndar Toute and Goxu Mbaac, which are particularly exposed to the risks of coastal erosion and flooding, (ii) improving living conditions through structured and sustainable urban redevelopment, (iii) preserving and enhancing the natural environment of the Langue de Barbarie and (iv) developing the local economy through appropriate urban infrastructure and services.

A project with environmental challenges

Abdoulaye Dièye, Director of Quality, Safety, Hygiene and Environment at Kelimane Entreprise SA, the company in charge of the work, highlighted the ecological dimension of the operation: "This project, although a public works project, has a priority environmental character. All measures are taken to comply with safety standards, facilitate the progress of the work and meet deadlines."

This environmentally friendly approach demonstrates the authorities' desire to reconcile security imperatives and the preservation of the fragile ecosystem of the Langue de Barbarie.

Next steps

Prefect Abou Sow announced that several other consultation meetings would be held before the official announcement of the demolition schedule. This participatory approach aims to ensure a smooth implementation of this delicate operation, which marks a decisive step in the urban transformation of Saint-Louis.

The demolition operation, once officially launched, will definitively free the 20 m by 3.5 km coastal strip and significantly reduce the risks to which the populations of the historic districts of the former capital of Senegal are exposed.

𝐃𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞́𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞̀𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐝'𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐫

The project enabled the development of the Diougop rehousing site on an area of 1,000 m². This work includes earthworks, roads and various networks necessary for the construction of permanent housing and social facilities.

To date, 167 housing units have been completed. Of this total, 167 have already been allocated and 91 are occupied by the affected families. The project ultimately plans to build 436 housing units of different types to accommodate all affected populations and socio-economic facilities such as the health center, market, middle school, elementary school, etc.

𝐔𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞́𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

Aware that displaced populations risk losing their fishing-related sources of income, SERRP has developed a Livelihood Restoration Plan. This support measure, designed in a participatory and inclusive manner, offers beneficiaries two options: maintain their original professional activities or retrain in other economic sectors, with the support of the project.

 

For the so-called 20m strip, the following developments are planned:

1. Linear park; cycle path; pedestrian walkway; sports trail
2. Development of social spaces: meeting, relaxation, sports and leisure spaces to encourage social interaction and well-being.
3. Design of a route with panoramic stops, benches and shaded areas to make the space friendly and attractive.
4. Creation of fishing quays with also the construction of infrastructure for storing fishing equipment and preserving fishing products.