Lack of independent sanitation: Not a single sludge treatment plant in Thiès

“In terms of on-site sanitation, we observe that the primary challenge today lies in large cities, such as Thiès, where there is a high population density but, unfortunately, not a single sludge treatment plant.” This observation comes from Mamadou Ndiour, Secretary General of the Association of Sanitation Stakeholders of Senegal.

In Thiès, he was attending a workshop of the project monitoring committee: "Improving sanitation, designing inclusive and sustainable cities, and promoting a circular economy", initiated by BORDA (Bremen Overseas Research and Development Organisation), an organization specializing in the fields of sanitation, the fight against poverty, the sustainable protection of resources and the strengthening of social structures.

A workshop that brought together all the sanitation stakeholders based in Thiès and Dakar, who are working on this project, the first phase of which started in 2024 and is scheduled to end in December 2026. Mr. Ndiour thanked the Borda project, which, he noted, "came at the right time, because currently the problem of on-site sanitation in Senegal is very serious."

Today, in fact, he indicated, "to have good on-site sanitation, you need a system in place so that the toilets function, as well as transportation, but above all, that there are proper disposal stations (sludge treatment plants)." He also mentioned "enormous problems that have arisen at the disposal point designated by the governor." And this, he said, "is a very serious problem that leads to many things, including environmental degradation and disease problems."

He believes that "the urgent need to invest in this sector-based approach today" and that "the Borda project is currently testing this approach." The director of Borda/Senegal, Assane Diarra, then reiterated the purpose of the meeting, which was to review the progress of this "innovative project whose approach could allow Senegal to replicate this type of investment across all municipalities and secondary cities where sanitation and sludge management issues are currently a public health concern."

Also, to present to stakeholders "the institutional, economic and financial model that we propose for the management of the sludge treatment plant and the hydro-jetting truck that we acquired as part of the project and entrusted to the Municipality of Thiès-Nord." The meeting revealed that in Senegal, access to improved sanitation is progressing significantly thanks to the efforts made by the State with the support of its partners in recent years.

Indeed, stakeholders note that the rate of access to sanitation increased from 61.3% in 2017 to 71.7% in 2022 in urban areas. This increase in access to sanitation was achieved through sanitation projects initiated by the government with the support of development partners. BORDA's actions aim to support, in close collaboration with national stakeholders, the improvement of the sanitation sector's performance.