A second Building under construction collapsed in Dakar, Senegal. Luckily nobody perished as it happened in August where five people died as a result of the collapse of a villa in Rufisque, a town located in Dakar. During the rainy season every year, the accident figures increase many times over, mostly caused by reasons like low waterproofing, substandard concrete, and reinforcement quality, improper soil survey results, or weak foundations.
Cheikh Mokhtar Dièye cries as he remembers July 27, 2022, in the narrow streets of the Medina neighborhood of Senegal in front of the remains of the old family house. The tragedy happened on that day when the first-floor slab collapsed in the kitchen, leading to the death of his brother and his seventeen-year-old sister.
The house was completely demolished since then for security reasons. Cheikh Mokhtar Dièye and his family were forced out of their house.
“I have rented an apartment where my wife and children stay. For now, they are dispersed until I finish constructing my new house that is still under construction”, he says.
So far, only the foundations of stagnant-water-filled basements have been laid due to the unavailability of funds for reconstruction.
Building demands a lot of cash. Only 58 million can be used to construct a one-bedroom unit and have the slab in place, install doors, and lay tiles.
In 2022, the National Fire Brigade reported that more than seventy-five people perished in a building collapse. Recurring Incidents Underscore Need for Improved Building Codes and Tight Safety Standards in Senegal.