The town of Gandiaye experienced a special day on March 3rd. The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, inaugurated the integrated sanitation system, worth approximately 4 billion CFA francs.

It is an integrated sanitation system that includes   31 kilometers of modern wastewater network serving the entire municipality, 1,125 individual connections to the sewer network, guaranteeing a local service to your households, 2 pumping stations equipped with high-performance and reliable technologies, a magnificent natural lagoon wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 750 cubic meters per day;   of a sludge treatment plant with a capacity of 15 cubic meters per day. This is a first for a secondary city since independence.

“As you know, we are living through a historic moment today, a decisive turning point in the history of Gandiaye, which has just joined the circle of secondary urban centers in our country equipped with a modern and integrated sanitation system,” said the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Cheikh Tidiane Dièye.

  The affirmation of human dignity

These facilities are being built as part of the Rural Water and Sanitation Project (PEAMIR), funded by the World Bank, which was thanked by the Minister for its approximately 70 billion CFA francs in funding. This project is innovative in that it targets the needs of Senegalese people living in rural areas or secondary cities. "The action we are taking today affirms human dignity, but above all, it enshrines the fundamental right of every citizen to live in a healthy and sanitary environment."

"This is the materialization of the solemn commitment made by His Excellency Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, President of the Republic, and by Mr. Prime Minister Ousmane SONKO to make universal access to essential services a tangible reality," stated Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, who is convinced that these infrastructures will radically change your living environment by putting an end to the discharge of wastewater into the streets and the health risks linked to unsanitary conditions, but above all by giving way to cleanliness, dignity, and a healthy environment conducive to the development of all.

 

PEAMIR figures at the heart of the peanut basin

 

Beyond Gandiaye, the impact of the PEAMIR project is measurable in the peanut basin. The achievements include over 98 kilometers of wastewater networks in Gandiaye, Nioro du Rip, Guinguinéo, Koungheul, Diourbel, Malem Hoddar, and Mbirkelane.   4,726 connections to the sewer network, 6 wastewater pumping stations;   04 wastewater treatment plants using lagooning with a combined capacity of 4,850 m³ ^/ day;   06 sludge treatment stations for a total capacity of 100m³ ^/ day.

In the region, 40,000 family latrines have been built, restoring dignity and privacy to families. "In total, 513,000 additional people now have access to improved sanitation services thanks to the PEAMIR program," the Minister revealed.

Banning bad behavior

The other issue is the preservation of the infrastructure. In Senegal, in large cities like Dakar, sanitation systems are subject to widespread damage. "I urge you to combat the behaviors that so often compromise the operation of our precious sanitation infrastructure. Pipes transformed into dumping grounds for solid waste, retention basins used as receptacles for all kinds of prohibited discharges, the organized theft of manhole covers and drain grates, or the dumping of used motor oil and chemicals into the networks, seriously disrupting the biological purification processes," lamented the Minister, who called on the residents of Gandiaye to abandon these practices, which significantly increase maintenance costs and drastically reduce the lifespan of the infrastructure.