Analysis of the Socio-Economic and Environmental Effects of Population Resettlement: The Case of the Langue de Barbarie Disaster Victims Resettled in Diougop as Part of the Saint-Louis Emergency Recovery and Resilience Project (Senegal)

Between 2017 and 2018, violent swells hit the commune of Saint-Louis, causing significant damage in coastal neighbourhoods such as Guet Ndar, Goxu Mbacc and Ndar Toute. Faced with this situation, the authorities identified the populations exposed to coastal risks along a corridor 20 metres wide and 3.5 kilometres long. To respond to the emergency and strengthen the resilience of the people living there, the Senegalese government set up the Saint-Louis Emergency Recovery and Resilience Project, the flagship action of which is the permanent rehousing of the people affected by the Langue de Barbarie in Diougop. These people traditionally lived by the sea, practising activities such as fishing, fish processing and seafood trade. The study presented here sets out to assess the socio-economic and environmental effects of this relocation. Using a mixed methodology, a number of significant results were highlighted. Firstly, the relocation did not disrupt working habits: 89% of those relocated to Diougop are still involved in fishing, despite the distance from the sea and the associated transport costs. What’s more, these people, who used to live in precarious areas characterised by disorganised urbanisation, now have decent housing and access to basic services. 84% of the households surveyed said that their living conditions had improved.