ENVIRONMENT-SENEGAL: The Rubbish Dump That Musn’t Go – And Mustn’t Stay

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Abdou Faye

DAKAR, May 31 2004 (IPS) - The stench of the place is evident for miles around. Nonetheless, people of all ages, mostly men, can be seen scurrying around the Mbeubeuss dump site near Senegal’s capital, Dakar, salvaging anything that can be sold.

Swatting away flies, they search the length and breadth of the site for plastic, pieces of iron, soda cans, tins – and even old food. "To get the best stuff, you have to be smart, and you have to be strong enough to hang onto the (dump) trucks," says 30-year-old Ousmane Sarr. The refuse is sold to blacksmiths, and companies that specialize in the recycling of plastics or metal. Coca-cola cans are used by some to make small cases.

Mbeubeuss has been in existence since 1970 – a 600 hectare site that occupies a dried-up lake.

At the time of its creation, the dump was considered a suitable distance from Dakar. Rapid population growth has brought the city to Mbeubeuss’ doorstep, however. Three million of Senegal’s 10-million-strong population now live in Dakar – and this figure is expected to rise to five million by 2020.

As the population grows, so does its garbage. Mbeubeuss received 321,000 tonnes of waste in 1998. In 2001, the total was 457,000 tonnes, according to the African Institute of City Planning based in Dakar. Household and industrial wastes are deposited indiscriminately, with little in the way of sorting or treatment.

Those who have the misfortune to live closest to Mbeubeuss have always complained about it. "We live with mosquitoes, rats, and other insects constantly because the dump is so close," says a resident of the populous Parcelles Assainies suburb.

A market gardener from the Malika neighborhood adds, "The mountains of trash from the dump have ended up engulfing practically all our garden land."

Belatedly, authorities have also recognized the dump site as an environmental hazard. Presenting his report for events in 2003, the minister of the environment described Mbeubeuss as "a veritable ecological catastrophe".

In particular, there are fears that the site could poison underground water supplies – an alarming prospect, given that most people in the surrounding villages still get their drinking water from wells.

However, efforts to address this problem have themselves encountered difficulties.

In 2001, a decision was taken to close Mbeubeuss by 2005 and open a new site at Gandoul, 70 kilometres east of Dakar. Residents there are outraged by the plan.

Last month (Apr. 14), they organised a march to protest the creation of a new dump site. An inter-village committee has also been set up to protect residents’ interests – and their cause has received support from the Union of Environmentalists of Senegal (RES-Greens), a political party created three years ago by environmental activists.

"The cause of the people of Gandoul is the fight for basic rights," Ousmane Sow Hucahard, the Secretary-General of RES-Greens told IPS, adding, "It’s normal for citizens to defend their living conditions."

RES-Greens also condemns the existence of the Mbeubeuss dump. The solution to the problem of waste disposal, according to the party, lies in educating Senegal’s citizens to handle their own garbage more effectively.

A new environmental policy, developed in 2001, allows polluters of dangerous substances to be fined up to about 18,000 dollars, and imprisoned for between two to five years. However, the code is silent on the topic of recycling waste, which continues go unsorted into home trash cans before it is collected and transported to Mbeubeuss.

Those who comb the site for things to sell also oppose the move, fearing that their livelihood may be at stake.

"The dump has now existed in this spot for more than 25 years, and no one has ever seen any evidence of the dangers they’re always talking about, and which have triggered this decision to close it and send it to Gandoul," says Mousa Seck, who recycles waste from the dump. He admits, though, that he would move to the new site in Gandoul if pressed.

Authorities say the Gandoul dump will adhere to European standards. Senegal’s government has signed a contract worth more than nine million dollars with Swiss garbage recycling company Alcyon, for the firm to collect and treat garbage over a 25-year period.

AMA-Senegal, a subsidiary of Alcyon, says waste will be sorted – and some of it used to produce compost, and even electricity, which can be sold. The remainder will ultimately be buried.

"We don’t plan to just move the Mbeubeuss dump to Gandoul, but instead to create a premier center for using landfill techniques according to well-defined environmental criteria," says Samba Sarr, Director of AMA-Senegal.

He emphasizes that many jobs will be generated for people living in the area as soon as the Gandoul recycling plant opens its doors. But, these assurances are falling on deaf ears.

"Leave the dump to the people of Mbeubeuss who want it," exclaims Abdou Ciss, President of the inter-village committee. The new site, he insists, will bring with it "theft, crime and pollution".