At the height of the rainy season, water cascaded into the Retba lake/Pink Lake increasing its usual depth. The influx washed away some 7,000 tonnes of salt worth thousands of dollars. It could also endanger tourism. Salt is believed to play a key role in imbuing the lake with its signature tinge.
Maguette Ndiour stands on the edge of Senegal's Lake Retba, famous for its pink-hued waters, and points to a mound of salt slowly being shovelled into bags by men toiling under the hot midday sun.