28 August, 2025
World Water Week
The final week of August marks World Water Week, aimed at reflecting on the importance of water for development, including agricultural, pastoral, and fishing activities.
This is the type of use to which the project for the adaptation of the Nianija Bolong river basin contributes, seeking to enhance the development of the primary sector in Kaffrine region, Senegal. Within this project, Incatema has not only commenced the clearance of vegetation along one third of the riverbed prior to the current rainy season but has also begun establishing of the works camp, with the construction of various buildings: the administrative block, a laboratory for quality control of construction materials, offices, warehouse, canteens, guardhouse, and others.
These works form part of Lot 1 of the Water Resources Mobilisation Project (PROMOREN) of the Senegalese Government, whose objective is to promote agroforestry and pastoral development and safeguard rural ecosystems in river basins, under the Office of Lakes and Watercourses (OLAC) of the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, as we have already mentioned here.
World Water Week has been held annually since 1991 under the auspices of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). During these days, leaders from across the globe, together with scientists, governments and civil society, convene to raise awareness of sustainable water management and to promote action to address the global water crisis.
More than 2.2 billion people worldwide lack safe access to drinking water
According to data from the World Health Organization and UNICEF, over two billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water, most of them in Africa and Asia, where prolonged droughts, pollution and the lack of infrastructure prevail. The situation is further exacerbated by the effects of climate change, which accelerate desertification, the melting of glaciers, and the overexploitation of aquifers.
In this context, the Director-General of OLAC, Diarra Sow, visited the works of the Nianija Bolong basin development project this August and expressed her satisfaction with the progress achieved.