Flooding of the Senegal River has caused significant damage in the Bakel district, where the government has
deployed an emergency response system to assist affected populations.
It has caused 3,825 people to be homeless in eastern Senegal), where the government has deployed a major emergency response system including food, shelter, and logistical resources, according to a statement seen by APA on Monday.
“The heavy rainfall recorded in the upper Senegal River basin, particularly at the Bafing Makana and Gourbassi stations, combined with water releases from the Manantali dam, has resulted in a rise in the water level and the Senegal River overflowing in several locations,” it stated.
In the Bakel department, flooding has affected homes, farms, public buildings, places of worship, and many roads, which have been rendered impassable. “The situation is more pronounced in the Moudery district, particularly in the towns of Ballou, Aroundou, Yafera, Golmy, Kounghany, and Diawara,” the document states.
According to initial censuses conducted by the state’s decentralised services, “nearly 220 affected families, representing 3,825 people affected” have been counted. “178 families have been displaced, including 27 housed in schools,” it added.
From the very beginning, government services (army, gendarmerie, firefighters) were deployed “under the coordination of the Governor of the Tambacounda region, the Prefect of Bakel, and the Sub-Prefect of Moudéry, in collaboration with local authorities” to provide emergency support to the population.
The Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation “has taken significant measures to ensure the monitoring and coordination of government interventions.”
The first batch of emergency measures includes “the opening of an open-air warehouse near the riverbank to facilitate the reception and delivery of donations to the victims,” “the rehousing of affected families who so wish in schools not yet flooded,” and “the provision of 1,000 sandbags to village chiefs for the construction of protective dikes.”
Life jackets and canoes have also been deployed “to secure river transport.” Eight tents have been installed: “five in Diawara and three in Aroundou.”
A second batch of relief supplies, currently being transported to Bakel, includes 1,000 mattresses, 12 additional tents, 200 mosquito nets, 20 motor pumps, 1,000 litres of fuel, 10 tonnes of rice, 2 tonnes of sugar, 2,000 litres of oil, 500 kg of milk, 500 boxes of soap, and 500 5-litre bottles of water.
“Other important measures will be taken to support the affected populations,” the press release stated, adding that “several other localities in the Senegal River Valley affected by these floods will also be affected by these government actions.” “These include Matam, Kanel, and Podor, among others, which are also receiving the state’s
closest attention,” the same source said.
During his visit to the localities of Bakel department last August, the Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation announced the launch of structural projects to combat flooding, including “the construction of the Yafera dike, the first in a series of projects that will be gradually completed over the years, as well as the rehabilitation of
the ponds and backwaters of Bakel.”
AC/Sf/fss/as/APA