The water supply which supplied our crops has been shut down without any warning”, declared Kalidou’s spokesman in front of a population in agreement with his case. Lendeng’s vegetable farmers blame SEN’EAU for this act, which aims to ”kill by small fire” more than 250 family farms and 2000 households that get their resources from vegetable farming activities in the area…. Through this “deliberate” withdrawal in Lendeng, the farmers also feel a desire to deprive the Rufisque department of its only remaining ecological lung in order to feed their hidden land grabbing interests. Farmers and populations made a point to face the press on Sunday, July 5, 2020, through a vast demonstration in Lendeng. Despite the harsh sun rays, they were all there, women, men, youth and children, signs in hand and resolutely committed to being heard. Lendeng contains the 14 neighborhoods of Colobane Gouye Mouride which has a population of 39 thousand inhabitants.
In this fight for dignity and survival, the farmers are supported by CICODEV, the Pan-African Institute for Citizenship, Consumers and Development, whose vision is to create active citizens and informed consumers for sustainable development. They also have the support of the GRDR Migration-Citizenship-Development, an international association under French law made up of professionals (agronomists, economists, sociologists, geographers, etc.),
urban planners, social workers, etc.) who use their expertise to serve the populations of the areas in which they work.
The Executive Director of CICODEV, Amadou Kanouté was disappointed that many of the fields he visited in the area had dried up because of the lack of water, even though the area had been designated, in accordance with the wishes of the Head of State, as a no-build zone (“non aedificandi” zone) reserved specifically for vegetable farming. For a sustainable solution, the Executive Director of CICODEV urges the State of Senegal to implement, in a distinct and consensual manner, a water policy suitable for human consumption and a productive water policy.