Floods destroy homes

Several villages were submerged in flash floods on Friday in the region of Linguere, 275 km northeast of Dakar, destroying homes, farmlands and wells, the independent ‘Sud Quotidien’ newspaper reported.

Following years of scant rainfall, most farmers had moved into wadis and other relatively moist areas. They were caught unawares by the heavy rain, which filled up the river beds, destroying communities in their path. The worst hit is the village of Thiel which, the Dakar daily said, received a record 114.5 mm of water since 28 July.

The rains in Senegal have come a little later than last year and, as a result, dry millet seeds have failed to germinate, the newspaper said.
Conditions were worst in Joal, 84 km southeast of Dakar, the paper said quoting the head of the Agriculture Department, Babacar Faye.

Groundnuts are the most important cash crop in Senegal and in the important groundnut producing area of Mbour, 30 km northwest of Joal, just 50 percent of seedbeds were laid at the start of the planting season in the second half of July.