AUDIT COMMUNAUTAIRE DES IMPACTS DE LA CENTRALE À CHARBON DE SENDOU SUR LES COMMUNAUTÉS LOCALES

The community audit of the Sendou coal-fired power plant in Bargny, Senegal, reveals significant violations of environmental and human rights. Key findings include the discharge of hydrocarbon-contaminated wastewater into Lake Khouloup, air pollution from unconfined coal and ash piles, and the expropriation of land previously designated for victims of coastal erosion without just compensation. The report also highlights the disruption of local economic activities, specifically fish processing at Khelcom, and the restriction of access to a sacred baobab tree, violating religious freedoms.

• The power plant has caused significant water pollution through the discharge of wastewater and cooling water into Lake Khouloup via open channels. Analysis from February 2019 showed these waters were contaminated with hydrocarbons at levels of 94.5 mg/L, far exceeding the 15 mg/L norm, which has damaged the lake's viability for fishing crabs and fish.
• Air quality is compromised by the storage of coal and ash in open-air piles, allowing wind to disperse particles into residential areas and crops. This has led to acute respiratory infections in humans and animals and forced some community members to abandon agriculture.
• The plant violates the Senegalese Environmental Code's requirement for a 500-meter safety buffer zone. The facility is located within this distance of residential areas, the Khelcom fish processing site, and Lake Khouloup.
• The project involved the expropriation of land that had been previously allocated to over 1,000 victims of coastal erosion from 1996 and 2007. The report states that the required 'just and prior' compensation for these land rights was not provided.
• Local economic activities have been severely impacted, particularly the Khelcom site where thousands of women process fish. The plant's encroachment and wastewater discharges caused the destruction of fish crates valued at 2,550,048 FCFA.
• The construction of the plant restricted community access to a sacred baobab tree used as an altar, which the report characterizes as a violation of the constitutional right to the free practice of religion.
• Technical and financial failures have left the plant unable to operate reliably. A June 2020 African Development Bank (AfDB) report noted the plant had been closed since July 2019, citing construction shortcuts and a need for approximately 31 million euros in corrective measures, leading inspectors to describe the plant as bankrupt.

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). AUDIT COMMUNAUTAIRE DES IMPACTS DE LA CENTRALE À CHARBON DE SENDOU SUR LES COMMUNAUTÉS LOCALES. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Audit-Communautaire-des-Impacts-de-la-Centrale-a-Charbon-de-Sendou-sur-les-Communautes-Locales.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. AUDIT COMMUNAUTAIRE DES IMPACTS DE LA CENTRALE À CHARBON DE SENDOU SUR LES COMMUNAUTÉS LOCALES. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Audit-Communautaire-des-Impacts-de-la-Centrale-a-Charbon-de-Sendou-sur-les-Communautes-Locales.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=AUDIT COMMUNAUTAIRE DES IMPACTS DE LA CENTRALE À CHARBON DE SENDOU SUR LES COMMUNAUTÉS LOCALES |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Audit-Communautaire-des-Impacts-de-la-Centrale-a-Charbon-de-Sendou-sur-les-Communautes-Locales.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendaudit, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{AUDIT COMMUNAUTAIRE DES IMPACTS DE LA CENTRALE À CHARBON DE SENDOU SUR LES COMMUNAUTÉS LOCALES}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Audit-Communautaire-des-Impacts-de-la-Centrale-a-Charbon-de-Sendou-sur-les-Communautes-Locales.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }