Why miners risk their lives in one of the world's saltiest lakes

Business Insider

Known for its colorful pink hues and rich salt deposits, Lake Retba, or Lac Rose, is a driving force of Senegal's economy. But extracting salt from a hypersaline lake comes with its fair share of risks for local miners.

Transcript

00:00This pink lake in Senegal is saltier than the Dead Sea.

00:05And miners, like Ousmane Dembele,

00:08scoop out thousands of tons of salt from it every year.

00:13But plunging into Lake Retba, or La Croze as locals call it,

00:18is a lot more dangerous than it seems.

00:21Still, Senegal is West Africa's leading salt producer,

00:35with ponds scattered across the country.

00:39Thousands of people depend on the industry.

00:42But some ecologists worry that La Croze,

00:45and its signature pink hue, are in danger of disappearing

00:50because of rapid urbanization and climate change.

00:54So, what's being done to protect one of Africa's most lucrative lakes,

00:59as well as the miners who break their backs working here every day?

01:07Ousmane Dembele, also known as Baba,

01:10has been diving into La Croze for 20 years.

01:14Before heading out, he applies shea butter,

01:17which creates a protective layer over his skin.

01:26And he covers his legs the best he can with these socks,

01:32secured with bits of nylon.

01:39Baba then pushes out this wooden canoe that he bought for nearly $360.

01:44But it's a lifelong investment.

01:47He steers it to shallow parts of the lake,

01:51where water evaporates faster, leaving behind salt crusts.

01:56Baba and his brother, who taught him the trade,

01:59can afford very few tools, like these long shovels,

02:12with which they reach the lake bed.

02:15They also use their feet to feel for the salt.

02:18But that can be risky.

02:20He can't go underwater to look for the cross, because he doesn't have goggles.

02:32And the high salinity can damage his eyes.

02:39Baba usually spends four to five hours doing this.

02:45Over and over again.

02:50I'm going to go away now.

02:54Extracting the salt is actually beneficial for the lake,

03:01which would fill up if the deposits aren't removed.

03:04In some parts, La Croce is 10 times saltier than normal ocean water.

03:10That's because it's separated from the Atlantic by a strip of sand dunes

03:15that formed thousands of years ago.

03:17While the salt water seeps in from the ocean,

03:20there's no outlet for La Croce.

03:23And as the sun evaporates surface water faster than it comes in,

03:27it leaves behind high concentrations of salt and other minerals.

03:32At its peak, salinity can be as high as 40%,

03:36even more than the Dead Sea.

03:39As for its signature pink color,

03:41that comes from a type of algae called Dunaliella salina,

03:46which flourishes in salt water.

03:48It produces an orange-red pigment when it absorbs sunlight.

03:52That's why La Croce glows brightest in the dry season,

03:57between November and June.

04:00Once full, these baskets can weigh about 55 pounds each.

04:05On a good day, Baba and his brother fill about 60 of these.

04:10That's as much as the canoe can carry without capsizing.

04:14So harvesters add these sticks as markers

04:18to come back and collect more salt later.

04:30The hard work isn't over yet.

04:37Kura Sao is one of many workers

04:40whose job is transporting the salt from the canoe

04:43into piles along the lake's banks, where it dries off.

04:48Kura Sao makes about 20 trips back and forth every day.

05:09For every canoe she unloads, she makes about 1,000 West African francs,

05:12or 2 U.S. dollars.

05:14That can buy her a few loaves of bread in Senegal.

05:16But the more basins she collects, the more money she makes.

05:18So she fights through the pain.

05:19The pain.

05:20For every canoe she unloads, she makes about 1,000 West African francs, or two U.S. dollars.

05:27That can buy her a few loaves of bread in Senegal.

05:31But the more basins she collects, the more money she makes, so she fights through the

05:36pain.

05:37The job has also taken a toll on Baba's body, which is covered in sores.

06:01So he applies duct tape on his wounds.

06:04This tape is the only protection that Baba can afford.

06:21He makes just $5 to $10 a day based on the amount of salt he harvests.

06:26Still, he is thankful for it.

06:30He is the only one who lives in Senegal's salt industry, harvesting nearly 60,000 metric

06:49tons from the lake per year.

06:51Artisanal extraction started to thrive in the early 70s, when the Senegalese government

06:56officially classified Lacrosse as a mine and allowed locals to harvest salt without official

07:04permits or paying royalties.

07:07These days, wholesalers buy it directly from people like Baba for up to 80 cents per basket.

07:13But they often sell it for double that price.

07:18Salt is also collected in other parts of Senegal.

07:22Here in the Palmarin region, locals have dug up hundreds of small salt wells that naturally

07:28collect saline water from the sea.

07:30Women spend up to eight hours a day scooping it up and leaving it out to dry.

07:47Women are also taking charge in the nearby salt flats of Fatih.

08:06And when I arrived in two to three months, four months, I lived in this production site to

08:15exploit saline water.

08:16And that belongs to them.

08:18And I said, why men and not women?

08:23Marie Douffe, now known as the Salt Queen, started her own business here.

08:28One reason why her salt sells fast is because she mixes in iodine.

08:48Adding the mineral is required in most African countries, but isn't enforced.

08:53A 2021 survey found that iodine deficiency rates in sub-Saharan Africa are twice as high

09:01as the global average, contributing to health problems like swelling, fatigue and issues during pregnancy.

09:08According to the level of salt production in my village, I can say that my children's health

09:17health has increased, but my revenue activities have also increased.

09:23While Senegal is the largest salt producer in West Africa, generating about half a million tons

09:29a year, globally it doesn't rank among the top ten.

09:34China is the biggest manufacturer, producing 53 million tons of salt a year, followed by

09:41the U.S. and India, which generates 30 million tons of salt annually.

09:48About a third of it comes from this dry seabed called Little Ron of Kach.

09:55And it ends up in soaps, detergents and table salt.

09:59But miners say collecting it in this scorching heat causes boils and skin diseases.

10:06And just like Senegal, the miners don't make much, earning a meager wage of $4 a ton.

10:14Another spot that's known for its therapeutic salt is the Dead Sea, which lies landlocked between

10:20Israel and Jordan.

10:22For centuries, tourists have visited, seeking cures for skin diseases.

10:27But the Dead Sea is also teeming with other minerals, like magnesium and potash, which is

10:33a type of potassium-rich salt often used as a fertilizer.

10:37The process for harvesting these minerals is mechanized, as companies use techniques like dredging,

10:44and modern plants refine millions of tons every year.

10:50Meanwhile, here at La Croze, miners are facing obstacles to growing their business.

10:57The climate crisis is bringing more rain to the region every year.

11:02Salt collectors were hit hardest in 2022, when flooding breached the lake's banks.

11:09Water started streaming in from new channels, diluting the lake's salinity and its signature pink color.

11:16And all these marigots and these cours d'eau are, in a natural way,

11:22drained, if you want, and following the topography, to La Croze.

11:28We first visited the lake in 2024, two years after the floods, when it still looked muddy.

11:35We went back in 2025, and it had finally regained its pink color.

11:41That's what attracts visitors from all around the world.

11:46But tourism has been a blessing and a curse to this lake.

11:51Removal of nearby dunes to make way for hotels and vacation homes has caused the lake to erode.

11:58Many of these developments don't have a proper sewage system,

12:02so they dump untreated waste in here.

12:05That's elevating nitrate levels in the water,

12:08sometimes even contaminating the salt.

12:11Scientists worry that if these salt crusts become unusable and aren't extracted,

12:17they could fill up this depression.

12:19And within a few years, La Croze could disappear.

12:23While there are virtually no living creatures inside the lake,

12:28it's still important for surrounding ecosystems and birds.

12:32Now, environmentalists are pushing for it to be designated as a UNESCO heritage site,

12:39to protect its biodiversity.

12:41While La Croze is still around, Baba continues to work here day in and day out.

12:48His family lives in the neighboring country of Mali, which is where he's from.

12:53But he's found community among the local families that live nearby.

12:59Spending time with them is his only outlet after a long day's work.

13:05The god does everything.

13:09The god is prepared for it!

13:12WALA STOP SAAPSA is a good one.

13:17WALA STOP SAAPSA is a good one.

13:21The husband is prepared for it.

13:24coalition of wanna have a group of water and water.

13:26This has a group of water.

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