VZCZCXRO4851
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #1285/01 3111705
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061705Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1395
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLMC/MCC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 001285 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/EPS, AF/RSA, PRM, DRL 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PGOV PHUM ECON SENV SG
SUBJECT: Rains Cause Flooding in Dakar's Suburbs 
 
DAKAR 00001285  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Severe rainfall from June through late September 
2008 destroyed hundreds of homes, leaving thousands of people 
homeless or displaced in the highly populated Dakar suburbs of 
Pikine, Thiaroye, Guediawaye, Medina Gounass, Diamaguene, Dalifort, 
and Yeumbeul.  As a result of flash floods, illegal construction and 
poor urban planning many families have abandoned their houses for 
shelters built on school grounds causing the government to delay the 
opening of the school year in some districts.  The outcome of the 
government's emergency rescue plan "Plan ORSEC" were mixed and today 
many families continue to remain exposed to life threatening 
diseases, lack of access to sanitation and are experiencing critical 
water problems.  In contrast, relief programs from donor countries 
such as France and China were well received by the population.  End 
summary. 
 
UNUSUAL HEAVY RAINS CAUSE DISASTER 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In early June unusually heavy rainfall began in the Dakar 
area and lasted well into September.  These rains caused massive 
flooding that affected Dakar's poorly constructed and over-populated 
suburbs that have seen a population boom linked to internal 
migration.  Many families have been forced to abandon their houses 
and now live in tents or have been given temporary shelters in 
schools leading to the delay of the opening of the school year 
scheduled for October 13.  In conversations with Political 
Specialist who visited the affected areas, many citizens were 
extremely critical of local mayors and the government for not taking 
the necessary step to first prevent the flooding and then for their 
lackluster response in the aftermath.  They also complained that 
inaction by their local governments means that certain schools 
remain closed three weeks into the school year because they have yet 
to relocate families. 
 
¶3. (U) The government estimates that 297 districts throughout the 
Dakar region were affected with 26,612 houses destroyed leading to 
the displacement of around 266,260 inhabitants.  In a statement he 
made to the press, the Minister for Housing and Construction, Oumar 
Sarr, said that thousands of people have been displaced from their 
homes in and around Dakar because they built houses where they 
should never have been built.  He cited the districts of Medina 
Gounass and Geudiawaye, which are both located in a coastal wetland 
zone. 
 
¶4. (U) Since the 2006 rainy season more than 30 families in Medina 
Gounass have been living in an area surrounded by stagnant water 
that has still not drained as the water table is so high.  Their 
misery has been compounded by more rain in 2007 and the floods of 
¶2008.  These families cook, eat and sleep in an environment where 
they are continually exposed to the twin threats of malaria and 
cholera.  They are surrounded by thrash (Note: Pictures are 
available on Embassy Dakar Intranet page at: 
http://dakar.state.gov/htdocs/section/polSect ion.aspx).  People told 
Political Specialist that they hoped to be relocated, but they are 
still waiting because they do not know where to go.  They claim that 
the situation is getting worse every year but that the government is 
mute to their demands for assistance.  In Pikine, 117 districts sit 
atop what used to be a swamp.  Most of the families there use dirt 
and sand in a futile attempt to prevent their homes from being 
flooded. 
 
GOVERNMENT MOUNTS AN EMERGENCY PLAN 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Government through its Plan ORSEC (Emergency Rescue 
Organization) mobilized the army and the fire department and 
released USD 600,000 to purchase fuel to pump water from the 
affected areas.  The operation came too late to prevent angry 
citizens from demonstrating their discontent when President 
Abdoulaye Wade visited in late September.  Many homeless complained 
about the lack of food, sleeping mats and hygiene kits.  The 
government promised to re-house the victims but many said they were 
still waiting for a new home.  However and perhaps in contrast to 
these complaints the government's "Jaxaay Plan" which allocates USD 
134 million for the construction of 3,000 community houses to 
relocate people from flood zones seems to have been fairly 
effective.  To date USD 30 million has been spent to build 1,600 
houses.  While this still leaves many people living in areas prone 
to flooding it's a step in the right direction. 
 
DONORS EFFORTS 
-------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) International donors released a total of USD 246 million in 
disaster and humanitarian assistance with USD 148 million coming 
from France and USD 98 million from China.  USAID donated 50,000 
mosquito nets to the populations of Pikine and Guediawaye.  USAID, 
in collaboration with the national health program to fight malaria, 
also initiated education awareness campaigns to sensitize people 
 
DAKAR 00001285  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
about diseases related to the rainy season like malaria, skin 
problems and cholera. 
 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Flooding is an annual problem in Dakar's suburban wetlands 
zones.  The rural exodus to Dakar by migrants looking for work has 
greatly exacerbated the problem as newcomers illegally build houses 
wherever there is space.  In recent statements the government has 
promised to be much more pro-active:  "We are reactivating a law 
that prohibit building on wetlands and will make sure that from now 
on people are removed from these areas." said Minister Sarr.  While 
the Minister talks a good game, the challenges of Dakar are huge. 
For example, the city's canals built to channel water away from 
populated areas are frequently used as dumping areas for thrash, and 
there are no comprehensive urban management and sanitation plans. 
As a result, yearly rainfalls always cause some degree of flooding, 
dislocating populations, and bringing diseases such as cholera and 
malaria.  The sharp increase in the urban population of Dakar is 
contrasted by the meager growth of its economy.  The yearly rains 
perennially reveal the many problems of managing Dakar's urban 
space, particularly the lack of adequate sanitation and sewers 
systems and the non-enforcement building codes. 
Bernicat