Le Ciment du Sahel's quarry extension is put on hold

Residents of Bandia, a town east of Dakar, Senegal, are concerned about Le Ciment du Sahel's plans to extend its quarry by an additional 236ha, cutting into a Baobab reserve. The government has not given its final clearance for the project, following mounting local resistance, demanding the protection of the forest.

Le Ciment du Sahel (CDS), has a capital of XOF13.5bn (EUR20.6m) and is owned by the Layousse family.

The cement company has been extracting limestone reserves since 2002 at its quarry. Now the cement plant has just obtained a licence to exploit an additional limestone deposit in the Bandia baobab forest. The news has caused anger and concern among residents and environmental groups.

Although required by law to restore the soil after mining, the cement plant is reported to have abandoned some 20 open-cast limestone mines, leaving behind a lunar landscape that is not conducive to the rebirth of fauna and flora, reports Afrik21.

Meanwhile, the government has announced that the project to extend the cement company has been suspended and that the operating licence issued is not final.