Senegalese village risks going extinct due to ecological threats

A raging sea that bites away the beach area every day. In Minam, Senegal ruined houses are the symbol of the ecological disaster that threatens Bargny, a city located about thirty kilometers from Dakar. 

The inhabitants have live to witness this change.

"When you see this, you know that it is more than a danger. This is not fiction, but anyone who sees this should know that those who live here are putting their lives at stake. I live in this house with my children and grandchildren. Please, President Macky, take a look at this, take a look at this screen. We want you to help us," Dauda Diouf, a resident in Bargny said.

Other concerns are the mineral port under construction and the coal-fired power plant. 

T his has fueled anger in a city already polluted for several decades by a cement factory. The inhabitants said the worst has already happened.

"Nobody wants it. Nobody wants it. No one really wants a coal-fired power plant. It really stinks. Every day it turns if the wind doesn't change direction and the smoke comes into the village, the next day it's black everywhere. This is not normal. Legally and logically, the village must be relocated, Badourahmane Gueye, a retired police officer said.

A group of young environmental activists protested in the area calling for immediate actions to be taken to help curb the situation.

"The situation is becoming serious and we call upon the State of Senegal, national and international organization to come and help the people of Minam whose future remains uncertain. As I speak, the cemeteries are taken by the sea and also the surrounding houses. In addition, Minam cannot cohabit with a coal-fired power plant," Medoune Medza, an environmentalist said.

However, last January, the Senegalese Minister of the Environment announced the replacement of coal with gas. But since then, no implementations have been made.