Villagers downstream of the Sélingué dam, 150 km from Bamako, are happy that there is no longer a period of the year when the river runs dry, but rice farmers, downstream of this dam whose irrigated plots had been destroyed in 2001, faced difficulties to get compensations for their lost crops by Electricité du Mali (EDM), after the company opened the dam gates to avert a major disaster during a large flood on that year. In Nigeria, because of the higher demand of the inhabitants, fish populations are declining as they are being depleted faster than they are able to restore their number.Īccording to a report entitled, by the Tyndall Centre and International Alert, financed by US Aid, the presence of the dams in Mali has reduced peak flows of the river and increased the minimum flow but flood recession agriculture on the banks has declined downstream of the Markala dam, 250 km downstream of Bamako, since the land that is flooded has reduced in surface. In a report published in the Water International Journal of London, researchers from France’s IRD development institute and from the Commonwealth Scientific and Indusrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) warn that expansion of the Office du Niger irrigation (ODN) project will result in a decreased flood in the Inner Delta, affecting traditional rice growers, herders and fishers, with a risk of 5 to 8 percent reduction of the fish production accordingly. They may increase up to 400,000 ha the irrigated areas but risk inevitably to have effects on the people downstream. Under the NBA investment plan, large dams are due to be built, in Guinea (Fomi), in Mali (Taoussa) and in Niger (Kandadji). In this fragile context, some 100,000 fishermen supporting one million people, particularly the Bozo migrant fishermen who move along the river during the catching season, are faced with the challenge posed by the construction of dams. At the same time, sand storms and wind erosion contribute to sand silting in the area of Timbuktu. The river loses nearly two-thirds of its potential flow in the Inner Delta between Ségou and Timbuktu to seepage (infiltration) and evaporation. In Mali and the above-mentioned Niger Delta, between Timbuktu The Niger River is made of two ancient rivers which eventually merged together and has two deltas: the Inner Delta at the end of the upper Niger, from the source to the Timbuktu area This causes both floods and droughts, which pose serious problems for agropastoralists, fishermen and cattle herders in an area whose population is expected to double by 2050 in an unique environment. The Joliba in the Manika language of Guinea and Mali, Egerew n-Igerewen as call it the Tuareg or the Oya as it is named by the Yoruba of Nigeria is a unique river with considerable fluctuations of its discharge which ranges from 500 to 27,600 cubic meters/second, according to seasons. Yet, a number of natural and man made factors is posing considerable challenges to the riparian ecosystems and populations. The 4,200 km Niger River is the main source of life for the 100 million people of the Niger Basin, which covers an area of 2.17million square kilometers in the nine countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Niger), who are members of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA). Sailing down the Niger River from the Fouta Djalon Mountains of Guinea to the sands of Timbuktu, the pearl of the desert and to the mangroves of the Niger Delta, is a fascinating trip. But owing to climate change and human activities, riparian populations face growing challenges. The Niger River is the main source of life of large parts of West Africa. The Niger River : From Drought To Floods And Pollution.
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