A water desalination plant will be constructed in Senegal to provide additional 100, 000 cubic metre/day of water in urban areas, and especially in the country’s capital, Dakar. This was made public by France’s Eranove subsidiary, Senegalaise des Eaux (SDE).
This is also part of water desalination plants projects planned by Senegal, to connect more 1.6 million people in urbans of Senegal to a new water supply system in the next six years. Another desalination plant is also planned near Dakar, which will add 50,000 cubic metres/day in the supply. SDE has also announced plans to bid on this project.
These projects will also help solve water shortages being experienced in the capital, among other areas. Dakar has a population of about one million people. Rapid urbanization is also likely to increase demand for water, according to company’s chief executive officer, Mamadou Dia.
Dakar has suffered under water shortages, with 400,000 people in city going without for water for 14 days last year following what has been termed as “acute shortage” of the commodity. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will partly finance the 00,000 cubic metre/day water desalination project.
Water and Sanitation Sector Project (PSEA) is also being undertaken in the country as part of the larger commitment of Senegal to the now nine year old Millennium Drinking Water and Sanitation Programme (PEPAM). Through this project, Louga, Kaffrine and Tambacounda regions will have access to water and sanitation MDGs by next year through a designed rural component.
Rehabilitation and extension of the Dakar and Ziguinchor wastewater networks is also part of the initiative to invest in proper water supply and management in the country.
