The Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation launched, on Sunday 17 August, an appeal for vigilance in the face of the continuing rise of the waters of the Senegal River. According to the official communiqué, “the continuous rise of the waters of the Senegal River makes it fears spillovers on the lower parts in the days or even hours to come “… “At the stations of Bakel and Matam, the level of the river has reached 9,21 m and 7,26 m respectively, i.e. less than one metre from the alert level”, the document states. The Ministry warns that “possibilities of spillover in the lower parts” could occur “even before the critical thresholds are reached”. Although some rumours circulating on social networks had referred to the difficulties related to the dams upstream, the ministry states that “these information have been shown to be false”. However, he insists: “the risks of early outflows are nonetheless very real”. Faced with this threat, the authority urges the population to be cautious: ” the Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation calls on the inhabitants of the localities bordering the Senegal River, particularly those closer to the watercourse or the communes affected last year, to guard against these risks and to protect their property “. The state services are already mobilized. “The administrative and territorial authorities as well as the technical services of the State are mobilized to undertake the required anticipatory diligence and provide the populations with the necessary assistance in this preventive phase”, the communiqué concludes.
Montée des eaux: the Ministry of Hydraulics warns of the risk of overflow of the Sénégal River
