Dakar's Hann Bay, was once considered one of the most beautiful coves in all Africa. Today, the former idyllic stretch of fine sand around twenty kilometres long, adjacent to the port of Dakar, has become the dumping ground for an increasing population and ever-expanding industry. Most of Senegal's manufacturing industry is located along the bay and discharges its waste directly into it. Ocean pollution is at worrying levels. In some places, it is almost impossible to see the sand beneath the rubbish and every few hundred metres a sewage pipe discharges into the sea. Analyses of the water have revealed quantities of bacteria, microplastics and heavy metals that pose a threat to human skin, lungs and eyes, but also to biodiversity. A multimillion-euro project with financing from foreign donors is promising to clean up the area by 2025.
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00:00 In Senegal's Han Bay, white sand beaches stretch as far as the eye can see.
00:07 The 20-kilometre long cove in the outskirts of Dakar was once reputed to be one of the most beautiful in all of Africa.
00:14 But today, few brave a visit.
00:18 The shore is now lined with plastics, used clothing and organic waste.
00:23 The Han Bay has been polluted since the late 1970s.
00:28 We have started to witness extreme pollution.
00:31 We can no longer swim without walking on organic waste,
00:35 and then on solid waste of all nature.
00:38 Then we noticed that when you swim, you have oil-covered skin.
00:42 This began to cause us real problems.
00:45 And this coincided with a rarefaction of the products of the Atlantic.
00:50 Travelling for several kilometres in their wooden canoes,
00:53 these fishermen have come back with only a small catch.
00:57 The waters of Han Bay, once teeming with fish, are now practically empty,
01:02 depriving the local population of a vital source of income.
01:06 It makes the fish run away, and you can't catch the big fish.
01:12 It causes a lot of diseases compared to what we work with here.
01:18 It puts a lot of pressure on us.
01:22 60% of Senegal's manufacturing industry is located along Han Bay,
01:27 and it discharges its waste straight into the ocean.
01:31 Here, blood from a nearby slaughterhouse is turning waters red.
01:35 Further out, toxic waste leaves anyone who gets too close
01:39 with a burning sensation in their throat.
01:43 In the Montagne 6 district, neighbours opposed the construction of the sewage canal,
01:48 but it was built anyway.
01:50 There's a school 20 metres away. The school's entrance is there, 20 metres away.
01:55 They built the canal.
01:59 And they saw it. They saw it.
02:01 Without doing any environmental or social impact studies.
02:05 They did it in front of us. The populations opposed it.
02:09 Nevertheless, they continued to do what they wanted to do.
02:13 But what exactly is in the water that makes it so toxic?
02:17 Researcher Amidou Sanco has taken numerous samples from Han Bay.
02:23 His analysis shows high concentrations of E. coli,
02:27 the presence of salmonella and entrocoxy,
02:30 as well as quantities of microplastics and heavy metals that far exceed standards.
02:35 The pollution comes mainly from the water used in domestic and industrial production.
02:41 The mixed zones are not treated. They are the main sources of pollution in the Han Bay.
02:49 The government has been promising to clean up the area for over 20 years.
02:54 But it was not until 2018 that a major project was launched,
02:58 with financial support from the French Development Agency,
03:01 the European Union and other foreign donors.
03:05 After being stalled for months, works have resumed
03:08 and will cost more than €114 million.
03:13 As part of the project, the French group SUEZ is building a wastewater treatment plant on the coast
03:18 that is due to begin operations in 2025.
03:22 Until then, beachgoers bathe in the waters of Han Bay at their own peril.
03:28 [Music]
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