Senegal’s Pink Lake Regains Its Color After Three Years

Dakar, Senegal - Lake Retba, also referred to as the "Pink Lake," has once again taken on its legendary pink color after it washed out with huge flooding in 2022. Situated 40 kilometers north of Dakar, the lake is a popular destination for visitors and an important economic center for the local salt producers and merchants.

The lake is famous for its concentrated salt, due to which bathers can float without any aid. Micro-organisms, which grow in the saline environment, as well as in very hot conditions with clear sunlight, produce the pink hue. But in 2022, an excess of rains interfered with this balance, and the color of the lake disappeared. One among those reasons responsible for these unpredictable weather patterns has been attributed to climate change.

The disappearance of the pink hue had a significant effect on lake-front businesses. Salt harvesting, tourism, and hotel industries suffered because there were fewer tourists visiting. Local businesses and the government initiated a pumping exercise to drain the water, which cost a few million CFA francs. The intervention of the government later assisted in the exercise.

Now, with good weather, the pink hue has returned. The tourism industry is flourishing with foreign tourists flocking to the destination to see the exclusive beauty of the lake. Tour operators, hotel owners, and salt vendors are experiencing new business prospects. Nonetheless, fears over the role of man-made activities and planned development in and around the lake linger. Ecologists fear pollution and urbanization disturbing the fragile balance which maintains the lake's color.

As precautions are still being taken to safeguard the lake, authorities stress taking sustainable steps to ensure its long-term existence. Despite occasional color shifts, Lake Retba is still a natural marvel, attracting tourists from across the globe.

Source: AFP
Credits: Monique NGO MAYAG