The SOS Déegu Mballing collective strongly opposes the ongoing landfill work on the Mballing lagoon, located in the municipality of Mbour. Through its spokesperson, Omar Niang, the collective demands the immediate suspension of all work being carried out on the land covered by land title number 2177/MB.

Bringing together more than a hundred citizen movements, civil society organizations and independent figures, the collective denounces a housing development project planning the creation of 56 plots intended for commercialization at the expense of a natural ecosystem deemed strategic.

Indeed, this is not the first time the lagoon has faced attempts to fill in. Back in 2017, similar works sparked strong protests from the residents of Mbour. This mobilization led the administrative authorities to adopt precautionary measures through Prefectural Decree No. 18-118 of June 29, 2018.

Today, the resumption of work is reviving concerns.

Based on observations made on site, the ongoing operations are altering the lagoon's natural configuration, weakening the dune system, and disrupting water flow. Engineers and technicians consulted have raised concerns about potentially dramatic biophysical and human consequences.

The situation is all the more worrying as Mbour is already facing advanced coastal erosion, which has led to the displacement of many families, particularly in the Golf district.

The Mballing lagoon plays a vital role in hydrological regulation, flood protection, and as a natural barrier against sea level rise and saltwater intrusion. Its disappearance or degradation could exacerbate the region's vulnerability to the effects of climate change.

"Senegal has around 433 bird species, a significant proportion of which frequent the lagoon and its surrounding ecosystem. The site constitutes a natural habitat, a migratory corridor and a wetland of strategic importance for national biodiversity.

"The country is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Wetlands, thus reinforcing the requirement to protect such spaces," says Omar Niang.

Beyond its ecological importance, the lagoon also has a historical and spiritual dimension.

According to the spokesperson for the collective, this site of pact between the Serer and Mandinka peoples is a place for the enthronement of kings and a space for prayer. The scholar and religious leader Umar Tall is said to have stayed there, contributing to its symbolic significance.

A legal framework was invoked.

SOS Déegu Mballing reminds us that Decree No. 2025-1184 of July 16, 2025, declares the preservation of natural waterways to be in the public interest. The State Property Code enshrines the inalienability of the natural public domain, while the Environmental Code mandates impact assessments for any activity likely to affect a sensitive ecosystem.

"Transforming a strategic wetland into 56 plots intended for commercialization constitutes a serious attack on the general interest, biodiversity and environmental security of Mbour," warns the collective.

He therefore requests the immediate suspension of the works; the publication of the subdivision plan and administrative authorizations; the verification of the conformity of the project with the prefectural decree of 2018; the carrying out of an independent environmental audit; the examination of the application of decree no. 2025-1184; the registration of the site in the Ramsar Convention.

SOS Déegu Mballing affirms that it remains fully committed to the sustainable safeguarding of the lagoon, which it considers an inalienable natural, ecological and cultural heritage.