Prime minister ousmane sonko urges urgent flood preparedness and updated communal emergency plans

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko took a decisive stand on flood prevention and management during a Council of Ministers meeting held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. He began by commending the proactive preparatory efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation, alongside other state agencies. These vital initiatives include the thorough cleaning of drainage networks, meticulous inspection of water management infrastructure, strategic pre-positioning of essential pumps, and the comprehensive development of emergency action plans. 

Emphasizing the inherently inter-ministerial nature of effective flood prevention, Prime Minister Sonko directed all government departments to foster seamless synergy. This collaborative approach will be spearheaded by the Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, with crucial support from the Ministry of Interior, particularly concerning civil protection measures and comprehensive crisis management strategies. 

Consequently, he issued explicit directives to the relevant ministers, urging them to implement appropriate measures without delay. The head of government called for the immediate execution of several key actions: the urgent update and official validation of all communal emergency plans across Senegal, a thorough verification of the operational readiness of early warning systems and public communication channels, the strategic pre-positioning of intervention resources, and the scheduling of a full inter-ministerial simulation exercise, all to be completed before June 15, 2026.