The follow-up visit of the Director General of ONAS, Séni Diène, to Touba on Thursday, February 19, 2026, was a success. A three-hour meeting, held at the sub-prefecture of Ndame, addressed the concerns of residents of the Nguiranène neighborhood and secured their unanimous agreement for the construction of the future flood control basin, thus removing the main obstacle to the project's implementation.

A decisive step has just been taken in the implementation of the Touba Stormwater Drainage Project, launched a few months ago by the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dieye. This Thursday, February 19, 2026, the Director General of the National Sanitation Office of Senegal (ONAS), Séni Diène, conducted a field visit to Touba as part of the regular monitoring of the project's implementation, thus fulfilling a commitment made during the launch ceremony.

Upon his arrival, Séni Diène made no secret of the fact that the situation around the Nguiranène basin was a real point of tension. "There was a crucial issue that was very important to us and that even risked jeopardizing the execution of the project. It was the Nguiranène basin," he declared.

In the days leading up to the visit, audio and video recordings circulating on social media had revealed the concerns of local residents. "When we received feedback consisting of audio or video recordings, where in any case the residents of the neighborhood were expressing themselves to say, not totally their opposition, but their concern regarding the construction of this basin," recalled the Director General.

Residents were particularly concerned about the risks of flooding and subsidence, problems they had already experienced with other similar structures in the holy city.

A three-hour meeting to clear up misunderstandings

To address these concerns, a consultation meeting was held at the sub-prefecture of Ndame, chaired by the sub-prefect, in the presence of the mayor of Touba Mosquée, Abdou Lahad Ka, and neighborhood delegates from Nguiranène. "It was essential to bring all these stakeholders together around a table today, with the prefect and the mayor of the city, to have an in-depth discussion, to explain the ins and outs of this reservoir project, so that ultimately people understand the objective of its construction," explained Séni Diène.

The discussions lasted nearly three hours. The technicians provided precise answers to the residents' concerns, emphasizing a fundamental difference: unlike the Keur Niang and Nguélémou basins, the future Nguiranène basin will not store water. It is a flood control basin, designed solely to regulate the flow of rainwater and drain it towards the Sine Valley.

A unanimous agreement and an "extremely positive" result

At the end of the discussions, there was total consensus. "All the officials present unanimously agreed, after listening to the various explanations, to give their approval for the execution of the Nguiranène basin. So this was the high point, in any case an extremely positive result in the implementation of this project," rejoiced the Director General of ONAS.

Séni Diène also emphasized the strategic importance of this agreement, mentioning the alternative that could have been considered had the negotiations failed. "An alternative existed, an alternative that consisted of bypassing the basin. But you will agree with me that the basin would have undergone no development; it would have been left to its own devices, like a wild basin, and it would have behaved as it always has," he warned. Before concluding, he added: "This is a basin that deserves development, so that everyone benefits, both the local population and the infrastructure currently being built."

A comprehensive program of 65 billion CFA francs

From a technical and financial standpoint, the project is based on an overall program estimated at 65 billion CFA francs, of which a priority tranche of 15 billion CFA francs will be implemented this year. The remaining 50 billion will be mobilized by 2027 at the latest, according to the commitments made by Minister Cheikh Tidiane Dieye.

This priority phase involves the construction of a central canal with a cross-section of 2.5 x 2 meters, which will drain the areas of Guédé, Darou Khoudoss, and Darou Minane towards the Nguiranène watershed, passing through the Keur Niang district over a distance of approximately 8.694 km. This canal will be connected to the future Nguiranène flood control basin, which will also receive the overflow from the Nguélémou basin. Subsequently, all the collected water will be conveyed to the Sine Valley through a main canal measuring 3 x 2 meters and extending for 8.25 km, thus relieving the Mame Diarra, Gouy Ziar, Féto, and Kawsara Fall districts of flooding.