Better manage restored access to water and sanitation.

GRET, an international solidarity organization present in some 30 countries since 1976, has been piloting development programs in Senegal for over 30 years. The aim is to improve access to drinking water and sanitation for vulnerable populations, in collaboration with public authorities and involving local communities.

Its new project, called “Aar Sunu Ndox” (“Let's protect our water from Gorom Lampsar”), targets Saint-Louis, in the north-west of the country. The region is marked by the presence of the Senegal River delta and Gorom-Lampsar, a 95 km hydraulic axis from Ronkh to Saint-Louis that plays a crucial role in agricultural irrigation and drainage in the Saloum delta. The communes of Gandon, Diama, Ross Béthio, Gaé and Mbane depend essentially on surface water resources. However, agricultural intensification is leading to increased pesticide pollution and growing soil salinization due to irrigation and marine intrusion. Rising temperatures and pollution encourage the proliferation of algae, degrading water quality.

In partnership with the Fédération des associations d'usagers des réseaux d'eau potable (Fasurep), the project focuses on three areas: access to drinking water and sanitation; citizen mobilization and good water governance; and support for the creation of a water centre in Mbakhana. This program will give rise to a series of actions:

• Rehabilitation of water treatment plants and extension of drinking water networks;
• Installation of 150 household connections for 1,500 residents;
• Construction of sanitary blocks in three schools for 600 pupils;
• Support for 100 households in accessing individual sanitation solutions.

This project will benefit from the technical expertise of Veoliaforce through skills sponsorship, in particular for the evaluation of existing solutions and network analysis.