September 27, 1999
DAKAR, Senegal (PANA) - Over 50 villages in Saint-Louis, some 270 km north of Dakar, have been inundated by floods from the Senegal River which spilled over its banks, the local media reported Monday.
According to the reports, more than 50 villages have been cut off from the rest of the northern region of the country since Saturday following the over-flow of the banks of the river.
The flood water also submerged the only major road linking the north to the southern parts of the country rendering it unusable for vehicular traffic.
The reports said several displaced inhabitants of the flooded areas were taking shelter in makeshift structures in open spaces.
Interviewed by one private radio, the governor of the region, Mbagnick Ndiaye, said he was powerless, adding that not much can be done until the water receded.
Opposition politician, Landing Savane, who has toured the region, declared that the serious floods had resulted in "extremely extensive" destruction of houses and farmlands.
According to him, the recent outflow of the Diama dam build to check penetration of salt water into the fertile lands of the valley by the Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River, which groups Mali, Mauritania and Senegal, had also contributed to the massive flooding of the region.
He predicted a difficult food situation in the coming months, saying hundreds of hectares of rice farms had been destroyed.