Tabaski is a period of peak waste production. Some people continue to dump their waste into drains and retention basins. The persistence of these bad habits was the focus of the speech by the Director General of ONAS, Mr. Séni Diène, who presided over an awards ceremony on May 20, 2026, for the winners of the competition organized by the Autonomous Sanitation Promotion Unit (CPAA), headed by Mame Penda Thiam.

This competition, which he said benefited from the support of the Gates Foundation, is a direct part of the ongoing search for appropriate solutions to the challenges facing the sanitation sub-sector in Senegal. "Indeed, despite awareness campaigns, pipes and retention basins are being transformed into receptacles for waste, especially during this Tabaski period. Moreover, the current context is appropriate for me to send a few messages: 'Let's celebrate, while preserving the pipes and all sanitation infrastructure,' urged the Director General of ONAS, Mr. Séni Diène."

Speaking at the event, Obey Dialla, Principal of the Mbao Middle School, deemed ONAS's choice to target students—who are not only the future leaders in sanitation but also key to sharing best practices—apt. He suggested that ONAS leverage school cultural days to raise awareness about the challenges related to access to sanitation services. "Managing wastewater and stormwater addresses a public health issue because water is a breeding ground for larvae, a source of diseases like malaria," stated the Mbao Middle School Principal, who thanked ONAS and the consulting firm Africa Sanitation.