Four (04) countries in Africa and Asia, including Senegal, are embedded in a research project on Sanitation and Climate Change: Assessing Resilience and Emissions (SCARE). The project is coordinated in Senegal by GGGI with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a consortium of research institutions worldwide (Universities of Bristol, Leeds, University Technology Sydney, Haramaya, Kathmandu and Kyambogo. The launching ceremony for Senegal was held on April 29th at the Radisson Blu hotel in Dakar, chaired by the Sanitation Director Omar Sene from the Ministry of Water & Sanitation and accompanied by M. Libane BA, President of Senegal’s National Committee on Climate Change (COMNAC), and Mamadou Konate, Senior Advisor, on behalf of the GGGI Country Representative.
The project aims to increase understanding of the linkages between sanitation services and climate change. GHG emissions, specifically from on-site sanitation facilities, will be assessed as these account for close to 80% of emissions of sanitation services in Senegal according to a 2020 report from GGGI. The University of Leeds developed and tested a methodology (CACTUS) to calculate emissions from different containment conditions, which will be tested in Senegal and in the other three countries of the study.
In Senegal, the project will be implemented by Thies Polytechnic University, building on their expertise in the matter and gathering solid data for Senegal. This data enables Senegal to better respond to some of challenges on the environment and climate change and attract climate finance to develop resilient and sustained services and ensure better public health.
The first stage of the project will be carried out in the cities of Kaoloack and Kolda with physical testing in diverse types of locations, in different conditions throughout the day and during dry and wet seasons during this year.
The SCARE project will strengthen information on GHG emission estimations linked to the sanitation value chain in urban and secondary cities, as well as enable a better understanding of the impact of technology options for a better management of climate resilient sanitation services.