Wide areas of farmland are submerged in north and eastern regions of the West African country, sweeping away the livelihoods of a population largely dependent on agriculture. Over 56 000 people have been displaced in eastern regions, as the country heads to polls on Sunday for a key parliamentary vote.
The rise of the Senegal River is devastating crops and buildings in a large region of the country.
Residents have condemned the authorities' inadequate response as the disaster now threatens to spark a health crisis
Food security is also at stake, according to business leaders in the country, which is key to the agricultural sector.
Torrential and late rains are a result of climate change, according to UN agencies working in the region.
They have led to severe flooding in different parts of Senegal since 5 November.
The overflowing of the Senegal and Gambia rivers is due to water releases from the Manantali (in Mali) and Faleme dams, which led to fluvial flooding, causing considerable damage, particularly in the regions of Tambacounda, Matam, Kedougou and Saint Louis.
Several villages along the riverbanks in these regions were submerged.
Official sites and buildings, including schools and health centres, are still flooded.
Floods leave 10 million children out of school in west and central Africa
Displaced populations
Senegal's government estimates that more 56,000 people have been displaced as a result.
"It's hard to live. If your field is destroyed, you have nothing to eat," Khardiatou Sy told news agencies, as her house was reduced to rubble by the rising water.
Seeking shelter in a tent of sticks and rags after floods devastated her village in northeastern Senegal, she says she feels abandoned by the government days ahead of snap parliamentary elections.
The 28-year-old is one of tens of thousands to have been displaced when torrential rains caused the Senegal River to burst its banks in October.
Her village of Bely Dialo used to live off rice cultivation, she said, but its inhabitants must now fish in the nearby floodwaters to eat and earn money.
Economic and political challenges
The scale of the destruction is one of the many challenges facing Senegal's new government, which took office in April and is heading into legislative elections on 17 November.
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Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has recently called the state of public finances "catastrophic", and his government is willing to tackle high unemployment and to address the large numbers of young people risking their lives to reach Europe.
Opinions on the new government's first seven months are divided in the rural Matam region, often seen as a stronghold of former president Macky Sall.
Some want to believe in a better future, following the ambitious rhetoric of the ruling Pastef party; others feel the government has not done enough yet to address the challenges of daily life.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has come to visit some flood-affected areas in recent weeks, with the government allocating eight billion CFA francs (12,3 million euros) to support the victims.
Meanwhile, at a Pastef rally in the nearby city of Matam, joy and expectation filled the evening air as thousands played vuvuzelas and chanted songs in admiration of Faye and Sonko.
After Faye dissolved the opposition-led parliament, Pastef believes this election will secure a legislative majority and help implement its agenda of economic transformation, social justice and the fight against corruption.
The Matam region is one of the poorest in Senegal and has the worst employment rate.
The government unveiled last month a vast 25-year national development project, planning to turn the region into a hub for processing phosphate into fertiliser.
Senegal unveils 25-year development plan aiming for economic sovereignty
Meanwhile, Senegal's coasts remain the main departure points for young people attempting the perilous Atlantic crossing to Europe, where thousands have died or disappeared in recent years, risking their lives in overloaded, often unseaworthy boats in search of brighter prospects.
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(with AFP)
