The Senegal River: Flood management and the future of the valley Adrian Adams Adrian Adams has lived for twenty years in Senegal and works with a farmers’ organisation in the Senegal River Valley. In her latest book (with Jaabe So)“A Claim to Land by the River: a Household in Senegal 1720-1994” she depicts the 20 year struggle of a farmers’ organisation to defend its vision of people- centred development against the State development corporation in charge of irrigation projects in the Senegal River Valley (see Haramata N°32, page 23). For further information, please contact the author at the following address: BP 11, Kounghani via Bakel, Senegal. Fax: +221 983 52 56. E.mail:
[email protected]. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 THE 1970S: THE FUTURE ACCORDING TO OMVS 1 IRRIGATED CROPPING: AN IMPASSE 3 ARTIFICIAL FLOODING: A BROKEN PROMISE 6 IS THERE NOW AN AGRICULTURAL POLICY FOR THE RIVER? 9 THE CAYOR CANAL AND FOSSIL VALLEYS PROJECTS 12 THE MANANTALI ENERGY PROJECT 15 FLOOD SUPPORT: WHAT IS POSSIBLE? 20 REFERENCES 26 MAPS Map of the Fossil Valleys: the Cayor Canal project 13 Manantali hydropower project: Supply lines 16 INTRODUCTION The River Senegal rises in the Fouta Djallon and flows northward through increasingly arid land; when it finally turns west towards the ocean, it borders on desert. In these areas of low rainfall, the river’s annual flood is necessary to life. Towards the end of the rainy season, it overflows its banks and floods the broad alluvial plain of the middle valley, where crops are grown in the dry season after the waters have receded.