Xiplomacy: China-funded rural well-drilling project greatly contributes to Africa's growth

IMPROVING LIVING QUALITY

"Having gone through thick and thin together, China, Senegal and the vast African countries are bound by a similar historical experience, the same development tasks and a shared aspiration for a better life," Xi said in a signed article ahead of his state visit to Senegal in July 2018, highlighting the deep bond between China and Africa.

In the article, Xi specifically mentioned that the China-funded rural water supply project would "benefit one seventh of Senegal's population".

In March 2017, the rural well-drilling project was launched in Senegal, covering 12 of the country's 14 regions. Each water supply system includes wells, water towers, distribution pipelines, and supply facilities, with a maximum daily water supply capacity of 80,000 cubic meters. The project has also generated over 3,000 local jobs.

Mamadou Dieng, a 41-year-old Senegalese man, said that the water pipes now reach almost every household in the village. "It was unimaginable in the past," he said.

Located in West Africa, Senegal is adjacent to the Sahara Desert, with most of its central and eastern regions being semi-desert areas where temperatures during the dry season can reach up to 45 degrees Celsius. Like many remote areas, Dieng's village of Tenefoul Toucouleur in the Diourbel region had long faced severe water shortages.

"In the past, we had to walk 1.5 km every day to fetch water from a 25-meter-deep well in the neighboring village, sometimes queuing from dawn to midnight," Dieng said.

When the Chinese well-drilling team arrived at Tenefoul Toucouleur in 2018, Dieng joined the team as a well-driller. After it was completed, Dieng was hired as a coordinator responsible for the well's maintenance. Now he inspects the equipment in the machine room every morning and ascends the nearly 20-meter-high water tower to clean the reservoir on a regular basis.

"This 'well of happiness' has given us clean water and improved our lives," Dieng said. From being a well-driller to a well-keeper, Dieng has witnessed the tremendous changes the China-funded well has brought to the entire village.

He said he hoped that "the friendship between China and Senegal will last forever", and that China-Africa cooperation will "create a beautiful and happy future for (our) children".

Abdoulaye Ba, general secretary of the Foreign Press Association in Senegal, said, "I have personally visited those villages and seen how the China-funded wells have greatly enhanced the local water supply and truly improved the villagers' lives, making a significant contribution to Senegal's livelihood."