Photos: In Dakar, volunteers clean beach littered with medical waste

Volunteers gathered to clear a beach strewn with used compresses, dirty needles and vials of blood on Saturday, apparently discarded by nearby hospitals in Senegal's capital Dakar. The city beach, named Cap-Manuel, is bordered by turquoise waters on one side and construction sites on the other. Some 200 volunteers of all ages and several nationalities braved the hot sun to remove medical waste from the beach, which is usually very popular with Dakar residents.

Updated on: Mar 05, 2020 6:01 PM IST

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A volunteer seen wearing protective gear picks up waste during a clean-up operation of medical trash thrown away by nearby hospitals on the Cap-Manuel beach in Dakar. (Seyllou / AFP)

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The city beach, named Cap-Manuel, is bordered by turquoise waters on one side and construction sites on the other. It’s a hit with locals, and children often use it as a football pitch. (Seyllou / AFP)

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In a video published by environmentalist Riad Kawar in late January -- one could see dozens of syringes, catheters and used medical tubes dumped on the beach which provoked outcry in the West African metropolis. (Seyllou / AFP)

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Doctors later told Kawar that the syringes came from infectious-disease units and should have been incinerated, according to him. “Something had to be done,” Kawar said, gazing at a group of volunteers heading towards the beach. Some 200 volunteers of all ages and several nationalities braved the sun to remove the medical waste. (Seyllou / AFP)

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A volunteer signs a poster during the clean-up operation. El Hadj Abdoulaye Seck, a dual French-Senegalese national on holiday in Dakar, was one of the people scouring the sands. “This project is of capital importance,” he said with a smile, adding every citizen’s duty was to “participate in the development of our country.” (Seyllou / AFP)

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A volunteer carries saplings before planting them during the clean-up operation. Dibocor Sene, in charge of hygiene at one of those hospitals littering the beach, said the incinerator ordinarily supposed to burn medical waste is out of order. He added that a dedicated waste-storage room sometimes overflows too. (Seyllou / AFP)