Life in Dakar: no water, no electricity, no gas, no rice

Tag : canned corned beef

07/12/2008
DAKAR  There is a shortage of everything in Dakar, complainsPascal Pareira, in line to get cooking gas in a working classneighborhood in the Senegalese capital Dakar, which has beenplagued by shortages in basic necessities these last weeks.
For the last week, I havent had water and I havent had gas. Iwent a month without finding rice, the brewery worker from theGrand-Yoff neighborhood sighed.
The West African country, which imports the majority of its foodand all of its petrol has been hit hard by rising food and fuelprices.
We are tired, Vieux Si, who works in a fish factory, told AFPwhile standing in line with several dozen others looking forcooking gas in the Parcelles-Assainies neighborhood.
On the street in this working class area burned out tires are thevisible remains of clashes between residents and the police lastweek over frequent power cuts and water shortages. The watercompany says the cuts in water supply are due to maintenance workand promises that the situation will be back to normal soon.
We have frequent water and power cuts. I pray to God that he willhelp us survive this situation, said Dieynaba Sadio, a resident.
There is not enough water, gas or rice and for the rice the priceshave also risen, she lamented.
For the last few weeks, a kilo of rice officially set to be sold at240 CFA francs (0,37 euros, 0,58 dollars) is now sold for 400francs CFA. A six-kilo bottle of cooking gas is officially supposedto cost 2,500 CFA francs and is sold for around 3,000.
We Senegalese only know rice but now for breakfast we often eatpasta with some corned beef (canned meat), Moustafa who livesclose to Dakars city center said.
According to the Senegalese government the high rice prices are notthe result of an actual shortage but of speculative behavior byrice traders.
Prime Minster Cheikh Adjibou Soumare said fraudulent re-exports ofall the subsidized basic needs such as rice and gas to neighboringcountries like Mauritania were to blame for the situation. Hepromised severe measures against speculating businessmen.
The rice is not only expensive but its a struggle to find it atall, restaurant owner Kine Diop told AFP.
I sent someone out to find some but I dont know if I will haverice today. In any case I dont make a lot of profit anymorebecause of the rising food prices and the drop in clients, sheexplained.
For the last few weeks Ive been losing 5,000 CFA francs everyday. I wonder if I can continue to run my restaurant.
In a neighboring house in the Medina area elderly Bamar DieneBandia has found a way to cut the cost of the basic necessities.
I had water bills of some 95,000 CFA francs every two months. Iinstalled a hand water pump two weeks ago to pump up water forlaundry, washing and bathing, he said. The water from the faucetsis only used for drinking water.
In the same family compound, which houses some 40 persons,electricity is also rationed. Sixty something Fatou Marieme Dioptold AFP she cuts the power herself daily between 7:00 a.m. and7:00 p.m. to save on electricity bills.
We were paying up to 75,000 CFA francs but the last bill was at35,000 CFA francs, she said.
She may need her savings: the Senegalese government announced lastweek that electricity prices would go up in August to keep an evenpace with rising petrol prices. The majority of the West Africancountrys power plants run on imported petrol. AFP
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