2024-07-15 22:04:14
Since May 11 and its first oil production, Senegal is now an oil producing country. The site of foreign countries de Sangomar, where the platform is installed, is off the Saloum River Delta, an area rich in biodiversity and popular with fishermen and fish producers. Players in this sector already say they feel the impact on their work and civil society is asking the Australian operator Woodside for more transparency.
With our special correspondent at DJiffer,
For many months, the fishermen of Djiffer, have Senegal, returned more and more empty handed. In Boubacar Diallo’s car, a few small fish, crustaceans, but nothing familiar. ” When we compare the current catches with those of the time before the installation of oil, we see that the quantity of fish today is much less. he assured. Now, we can go for five days, even a week without going fishing. And when we go to the sea, we come back with fish whose market value does not exceed 50 000 francs. It’s not enough. »
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The first barrels of oil were extracted from the Sangomar field, 90 km off the Djiffer coast, in May, but the development of the oil base begins in 2020. The work that causes disturbance to the ecosystems, according to the chairman of the local fisheries committee, Souleymane Thiaw. ” Everyone knows that fish are attracted to light. So today the fish have gone to the area of oil installations. And our fishermen can no longer access it because of the security zone. The result is that certain types of fish are rare in the sector, which is a real problem », he complained.
« We must contact the residents »
According to him, 70% of the local population makes a living from fishing. On the quay, the women processed the fish, but even there the work slowed down. Fish, rarer, cost twice as much as before, and dozens of racks are half empty. Penda Niang modified his stand due to lack of customers. ” Our work is no longer so. Before that, we could be on processing sites from morning until midnight. So, you see there, we can be able to be with our beautiful clothes while knowing that we won’t have much to do in the way of work. », describes the dealer.
In 2018, in its environmental impact study, the Australian company Woodside, which operates in the oil field, recognized the risk of disruption to aquatic life, but only temporarily. The fishermen said they have not had a dialogue with the company for many years, which the civil society hates. ” Impact studies are often included with an environmental and social management plan (ESMP). How can an ESMP be implemented to manage the impacts identified in the studies without affecting communities? We must involve the population in this process », Rights Lamine Diagne, member of the Paid Coalition.
The government estimates revenues from the exploitation of its hydrocarbons (oil and gas) at 576 billion CFA francs, or nearly 900 million euros, for the period 2025-2027.
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