On the sidelines of the celebration of World Water Day, Thursday, March 22, the director general of Senegalese Water (SDE), Abdoul BAAL spoke with Financial AfriK.
The SDE announced a coverage rate of 98% in 2017, what explains this performance?
Exactly, World Water Day is an opportunity to take stock of our activities. Our goal is for everyone to have access to water. SDE has been in existence for 22 years now. At the time, when it started in 1996, the access rate was only 80%. Today, it is 98%. This means that in urban areas, almost all the population has access to water service via the distribution network of the SDE.
This means that the partnership we have with the State of Senegal and the National Water Company of Senegal (SONES) has made many water production and distribution works and more than 300,000 connections, most of which are free because they are funded by SONES and carried out by SDE. These actions have made us grow from 200,000 to 700,000 connected customers today, in 22 years.
And all had access to water through these connections made possible by a balanced relationship between SDE, SONES and the State of Senegal.
How can one present a 98% access rate to water on the one hand and, on the other hand, continue to have regular cuts in Dakar and in the regions?
The regular water breaks are to be relativised. Today we have fairly high water needs. The coverage is not 100%. Several projects are under way to remedy this. SONES has already obtained financing for the Keur Momar Sarr 3 plant and the seawater desalination plant to cover water needs up to 2035. But already Between now and 2021, we SDE, because we enjoy the confidence of the State and SONES, we will carry out a number of drilling to fill the deficit of which you speak.
So there is a deficit between supply and demand?
Today, clearly yes. We manage this, we SDE and the State of Senegal and go to these works to fill the gap stuck on demand, pending the completion of structures, planned from the year 2021.
Is there no delay in the realization of these works, given the urgency?
As I said earlier, SONES is in charge of the realization of these works. We go to the international market for loans. And the refund can be done because the commercial management of the SDE allows it. Indeed, there was a slight delay in the planning of the realization of these works but it is being resorbed in a very beautiful way through this partnership which includes the SDE.
