The municipality of Gandiaye, located in the Kaolack region, hosted on Tuesday the official inauguration ceremony of the sanitation works carried out as part of the Water and Sanitation in Rural Areas Project (PEAMIR).

Funded by the World Bank to the tune of $130 million (more than 70 billion FCFA), this project marks a major step forward for the populations of the peanut basin.

Presided over by the Minister of Water and Sanitation, and in the presence of a World Bank representative, local authorities, and numerous citizens, the ceremony unveiled a range of modern infrastructure designed to sustainably improve the living environment. Gandiaye now boasts 31 kilometers of sewage network, 1,125 individual connections, two pumping stations, a natural lagoon wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 750 m³ per day, and a sludge treatment plant with a capacity of 15 m³ per day.

In his speech, Minister Cheikh Tidiane Dièye hailed a "historic moment" for Gandiaye, which joins the ranks of secondary cities equipped with an integrated sanitation system. He emphasized the government's commitment, under the leadership of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, to making access to essential services a reality for all. He also stressed the need to adopt a circular economy approach, utilizing treated wastewater and stabilized sludge for urban and peri-urban agriculture.

Speaking at the event, the mayor of Gandiaye, Pape Songué Diop, expressed his municipality's immense pride in this achievement, which he described as embodying "a vision of a sustainable, resilient, and caring community." He emphasized the socioeconomic impact of the project, which employed between 150 and 200 local youth for 18 to 24 months, resulting in a remarkable transfer of skills in technical trades (welding, masonry, and electrical work).

The mayor also highlighted the nearly half a billion CFA francs in payroll injected into the local economy, while calling for greater involvement of municipalities in water governance and for a review of access to drinking water, which remains problematic in Gandiaye due to fluoride and salinity in boreholes. Finally, he advocated for better management of rainwater to complete the integrated sanitation system.

The World Bank representative, for his part, reaffirmed the importance of the partnership with Senegal, which has been engaged in the water and sanitation sector for nearly three decades. He recalled that the PEAMIR project is part of a broader dynamic, extended by the Integrated Program for Water and Sanitation Security (PISEA), endowed with $800 million for the period 2024-2031.

Beyond Gandiaye, the PEAMIR project has enabled the construction of over 98 kilometers of water networks in several municipalities, 4,726 connections, six wastewater treatment plants, and 40,000 family latrines, benefiting more than 500,000 people. In rural areas, nearly 380,000 people now have improved access to drinking water.

The authorities have appealed to the population for responsible management of infrastructure, a guarantee of its sustainability. In Gandiaye, the focus is now on cleanliness, dignity, and a healthy environment for all.