On the shore of Senegal's Pink Lake, salt farmer Pape Sira Ba has raked in what he fears may be his last harvest.

Extreme floods contaminated the 3-square-km lake five months ago, turning its famous waters green and threatening thousands of people who depend on it for their livelihoods.

Officially known as Lake Retba, the lake's high salinity and rare microbiome long-fostered an algae that turned it a pinkish color, making it one of the West African country's most visited attractions and under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage site.