The Director General of ONAS, Mr. Séni Diène, conducted a field visit to Tivaouane on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, as part of the stormwater drainage project for the municipality of Tivaouane. This tour was part of the ongoing monitoring of the progress of the work and the actions undertaken to sustainably improve stormwater management for the benefit of the local population.

After visiting construction sites on the EP2.2 canals, the North Outlet, the South Outlet and the prefabrication area, following a fruitful meeting with the Prefect of Tivaouane, around discussions on the activities of the Project Monitoring Committee, it was noted that "the execution rates are correct".

"We have just come out of a long marathon, which led us, first, to the prefect, before visiting the two sites which house the different lots. At the level of the prefectural authority, we exchanged on issues of governance of the project itself in relation to the "control" aspects, the establishment of a monitoring committee made up of all stakeholders, and in which the religious city was represented by high personalities appointed by the General Khalif of the Tidianes," said the Director General of ONAS.

He continued: "We had a discussion with the prefect who reassured us, at least regarding the responsibility of this committee, which has already met once and was able to identify potential future problems that could hinder the execution of the work. This is why Mr. Diène welcomed this initiative, which, he said, 'will at least allow us to anticipate and resolve these problems.'"

Following his visit to the prefecture, the Director General of ONAS, accompanied by his delegation, toured the various work sites. First, he visited the second site, south of the city, where he toured at least five workshops, all of which were staffed and working. This provided an opportunity to confirm that the supply of materials was secure and guaranteed, in addition to the ongoing tasks.

He notes that, for Lot 2, the work consisted of 3.6 km of large-diameter culverts and 3.8 km of small-diameter culverts. This represents a total length of 2.6 km, with 1.5 km of secondary network. He also observes very good completion rates in the southern zone, which comprises Lot 2.

On site, Mr. Diène expressed his complete satisfaction with the pace of work. He stated that in this area, the company had already installed at least 850 linear meters of prefabricated and constructed culverts. He then visited Lot No. 1, north of the city, where the project is approximately 1 km long along its 3.4 km length. The CEO believes that, three months after the project's launch last November, the completion rate is approaching 15% to 20%, giving them good reason to be optimistic that the work will be fully completed within six to eight months.

And, the Director General of ONAS confided, "it was on this hopeful note that we spoke with the company, which has mobilized a total of 12 workshops, and we advised them, in any case, to increase the number of workshops, perhaps to 15 or 16, in order to move much faster." Mr. Diène, however, said he was hopeful that they would finish the work ahead of schedule. Nevertheless, to prepare for any eventuality, he noted that "given the nature of a project, when you have the opportunity to save time, you have to seize it fully, because you never know what tomorrow will bring."

"A satisfactory and encouraging assessment, which certainly gives us hope that this project will be completed well before the next Gamou," said Mr. Diène. For his part, the Director of Climate Works, the company managing the stormwater drainage project for the city of Tivaouane, elaborated on the structure of the work, divided into two phases. "On phase 1, the work is currently 15% complete, and on phase 2, 14% complete." He believes that, at this pace, the work can be finished even ahead of schedule. Mamadou Ngom believes that, with the organization the company has put in place, the work will be completed within the expected timeframe.

A meeting with the mayor of Tivaouane provided an opportunity to discuss several points at length, particularly the social aspect of the project. The issue of expenses was central to the discussions. The importance of regular monitoring of the work, which remains a way of respecting their commitments, was also emphasized.

The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, launched the stormwater drainage works in Tivaouane on Monday, November 10, 2025, in the Keur Khaly district. Costing 7.5 billion CFA francs, the project includes the construction of 13.4 km of reinforced concrete drainage canals and 210 grated manholes with their associated equipment.

These projects will significantly reduce flooding in the neighborhoods of Kouly, Cité Serigne Mansour, Fogny, Keur Khaly, Djeddah, and Point Bas. In total, 86,000 people will be spared from flooding once the work is completed. During the opening ceremony, the Minister of Water Resources emphasized the company's commitment to meeting the contractual deadlines as a moral obligation to the administrative and religious authorities and the local population.

This visit by the Director General of the National Sanitation Office of Senegal (ONAS), Mr. Séni Diène, is a tangible manifestation of this commitment. It comes four months after the start of the works. Beyond monitoring progress, this ongoing presence on the ground allows the steering committee to identify constraints and address any issues that might hinder the smooth progress of the works.