Plaquette : Making the Senegal river navigable - IAGF 6ème session

e Ask private companies to contribute to preserving the environment during every phase of the project This affects constructi on companies, infrastructure operating companies; lessee companies in the enterprise zones and port sites. Companies could be asked to make environmental proposais and they could be made a selection criterion in calls for tenders and contracts. These measures to share out responsibility (e.g. t he installation of sensors to measure wa ter quality; the restoration of natural habitats, etc.) would benefit the territories and allow the OMVS to forego bearing full environmental responsibility in the framework of the project. o Implement a PhD exchange programme between universities to st udy thi s issue. Anot her solution would be to set up a local research unit by relying on local compet ences. o Anticipate the regulatory framework to apply with respect to the potential generation of pollution o Set up a water quality monitoring procedure A plan to monitor the environmental impacts of dredging could be implemented . This entails the prior measurement of sedimentation levels at different points of t he river'sconfluence to assess their quantity and transpo rt. During the dredging phase to excavate the channel, it will be necessary to collect data and take measures adapt ed according to t he origin of the sediments: soil erosion or organic pollut ion. Lastly, the quality of the water intended for human consumption and irrigation must be controll ed continuously. o Going beyond the technical aspects of the project There is a need to go beyond t he issue of gett ing t he populatio n to not only accept t he project but also to make it its own . Although the initial steps are of a techn ical nature, symbolic actions that involve the population are required to write and tell a story and give a global image of the project , strengthen its local acceptance and success t hrough t ime, t hrough f ull appropr iation. For example: Explain the dredging to the surrounding population; Assuage possible fears, without talk ing about the urgency of the project but of the imperative need to carry it out; Provide a new way of experiencing the river with a pilot boat w hich would be an object of innovatio n in itself, 2 1