The Fatick Regional Directorate of Energy and Mines wants to give a new lease of life to a former sand quarry located in Tattaguine. A mission visited the site to consider its rehabilitation and consider new uses for the benefit of the community.

"We visited this old quarry to see how we could rehabilitate it. The idea is to find a way to make it useful to the people," explained Gane Thiaw, regional director of Energy and Mines, on the sidelines of the visit.

This initiative is part of the open days initiated by the Ministry of Energy, Petroleum and Mines, thus making it possible to identify several abandoned quarries in the area.

The proliferation of illegal quarries is worrying

But beyond this rehabilitation project, the authorities are alarmed by the proliferation of illegal sand quarries in Tattaguine, a situation that has become worrying for residents.

"Many logging operations are illegal. It is important to combat this phenomenon through awareness-raising, and I urge communities to report illegal loggers," Mr. Thiaw argued.

This observation is shared by Ahmed Ngagne Diagne, head of the regional division for the Environment and Classified Establishments. According to him, the uncontrolled exploitation of sand has led to "a very advanced degradation of the ecosystem."

Preserving the environment, an emergency

For this official, it is now urgent to take firm measures to prevent the repetition of such practices. "We must act quickly to protect the environment and prevent these illicit activities from further destroying our natural resources," he said.

With this rehabilitation project, the authorities hope to transform these degraded areas into useful areas for the population, while strengthening the fight against the illegal exploitation of natural resources.