Hydrological processes and water security in a changing world Proc. IAHS, 383, 171–183, 2020 https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-383-171-2020 Open Access © Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Hydropluviometric variability in non-Sahelian West Africa: case of the Koliba/Corubal River Basin (Guinea and Guinea-Bissau) Saly Sambou1, Honore Dacosta1, Rene Ndimag Diouf2, Ibrahima Diouf3, and Alioune Kane1 1Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Department of Geography, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar (UCAD), BP: 5005, Dakar-Fann, Senegal 2Faculty of Technologies of Education and Training Sciences, Didactic Department History and Geography, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal 3NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, Maryland, USA Correspondence: Saly Sambou ([email protected]) Published: 16 September 2020 Abstract. The Koliba/Corubal River watershed is poorly documented due to the hydrometric measurements shutdown and gaps in the very short hydropluviometric timeseries. The purpose of this study is to analyze the variability of rainfall in the Basin, by simulating flows using the GR2M rain-flow model and extending the discharge timeseries. From the regional vector method, the rainfall timeseries were homogenized, and the gaps filled by the estimated values. The rank correlation and Pettitt test on annual rainfall amounts (1924–2015) indicate breaks in 1958, 1967 and 1969, leading to rainfall deficits ranging from 9.7 % to 20.2 %. For some stations, the segmentation method shows a recovery of rainfall towards the end of the 1980s (Gaoual, Mali) and the early 2000s (Gabu). The analysis of the temporal distribution of the Monthly Rainfall Coefficients shows an improvement of the contributions of a few months during the period after rupture. From a hydrological point of view, the correlation between the mean annual rainfall and the runoff has allowed to extend the flow timeseries. The mean monthly rainfall calculated using the inverse square of distance method, the Potential Evapotranspiration, and the flow rates were used to calibrate and validate the model to determine the parameters that better transform rainfall in flow. The values of the Nash criteria close to 100 have made it possible to extend the monthly flow data from Koliba/Corubal to Gaoual, Cade and Tche-Tche until 2015. 1 Introduction events with high runoff coefficients leading to floods. The manifestation of these events is heterogeneous and variable In West Africa, many recent studies (Sène and Ozer, 2002; in time and space. The Sahelian zone more affected by the Ali et al., 2008; Niang, 2008; Sarr and Lona, 2009; Ouoba, rainfall deficit (Dai et al., 1998) seems to be the most docu- 2013; Panthou, 2013; Descroix et al., 2013, 2015; Bodian, mented (Hufty, 1994). Some West African Basins such as the 2014) showed a recovery in rainfall towards the end of Koliba/Corubal River (a Sudanese area) are still poorly in- the 1990s, after a long period of severe drought in the 1970s vestigated due to lack of hydropluviometric data. Moreover, and 1980s. The study of Lebel and Ali (2009) indicated that discontinuous hydrological datasets have many shortcomings the eastern and central parts of the Sahel experienced an related to the lack of adequate monitoring of measurement increased rainfall situation, while the western part remains networks due to limited human and financial resources. Ac- in deficit for the period 1990–2007. This improvement in cording to Claude (1980), the creation of Water and Environ- rainfall conditions coupled with high interannual variabil- ment Service at the General Direction of Natural Resources ity, can be appreciated in terms of the number of rainfall of Guinea-Bissau is very recent (only from 1977). The hy- Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences. 172 S. Sambou et al.: Hydropluviometric variability in non-Sahelian West Africa drological regime and the streamflow are poorly known. The Bissau. The very dense hydrographic network is simplified hydrometric network of Guinea is very obsolete, the first (Fig. 1) for more readability. stations were implanted around 1910, but its development The vegetation is composed of dense forests, de- was slow and subjected to many hazards. The current net- graded forest altitude, dry forest covered annually by bush work has been restructured starting in 1967. However, some fires, wooded savannah and woodland, crops, fallow field, newly created stations are not calibrated due to difficult ac- etc. (Zoumanigui, 2003). The Koliba/Corubal Basin belongs cess (Claude, 1980). This is an obstacle to any hydrological to a tropical climate characterized by a single rainy season study, especially the assessment of the impact of rainfall vari- that generally lasts five months in the north and six months ability on the streamflow. in the south of the Basin and a dry season which however The Koliba/Corubal Basin is a transboundary Basin, records a few millimeters of water (April and November). shared between Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. It is part of the Rainfall decreases from the south to the north following the intervention area of the Gambia River Basin Organization West African monsoon flux. The monthly maximum temper- (in French, Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du Fleuve ature average is between 26.0 and 33.4 ◦C at Labe, 31.1 and Gambie, OMVG hereafter), whose mission is to undertake 40.20 ◦C at Koundara, respectively in August and April. The a rehabilitation of rainfall and hydrometric networks for the average minimum temperatures range from 10.2 and 18.3 ◦C realization of its projects. at Labe and 15.0 and 24.2 ◦C at Koundara in December and However, the availability of long-term timeseries of rain- May. fall (annual and monthly), although sometimes incomplete, is an asset to provide a solution to the lack of data, through the 2.2 Physiographic data modeling of the rain-flow relationship. Among the existing models, the GR2M of Cemagref (Mouelhi, 2003; Mouelhi The cartographic documents covering a large area of study et al., 2006), Rural Engineerig at the monthly time step and are not always easy to access. Moreover, even if they are with two parameters (X1 and X2), has been selected. It is available, a problem of the heterogeneity of the scales arises. a simple and robust model much applied in Africa (Paturel Thus, for some reasons of homogeneity, the Shuttle Radar et al., 1995; Mahé et al., 2005; Bodian et al., 2012). The Topography Mission (SRTM) data of 30 m resolution NASA objective of this study is to analyze the variability of rain- (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) were used. fall in the Koliba/Corubal River Basin. Due to discontinuous They are used for the characterization of the relief and the and incomplete hydrological data, a rain-flow modeling ap- determination of the morphometric characteristics of the proach will allow, on the basis of existing data, to extend the Koliba/Corubal Basin (Table 1 and Fig. 2). The Digital Ter- discharge timeseries for a better quantification of water re- rain Model (DTM) realized with the Surfer software shows sources for rational management and the satisfaction of dif- that the mountainous terrain is in the northeast part of the ferent uses. Basin with altitudes exceeding 1400 m. It is at these levels that the tributaries Bantala and Komba take their source. In the downstream part, altitudes decrease to less than 100 m 2 Data and methods (Fig. 2). The Basin and its various sub-basins have an elon- gated shape as shown by the compactness coefficients (Ta- 2.1 The study area ble 1), resulting in a long period of concentration of runoff The Koliba/Corubal River watershed lies between 11◦ N and water. This is nuanced because the influence of relief is even 12◦300 N and between 12◦ W and 14◦300 W. It is shared be- more important. tween Guinea (84.5 %) and Guinea-Bissau (15.5 %) and cov- ers an area of 20 876.4 km2 at the Tche-Tche hydrometric 2.3 Rainfall data station (Fig. 1). Rainfall data come from the National Meteorology Direc- The River has its source from the West of Fouta Djalon, tion of Guinea (DNM), the National Meteorological Service in Middle Guinea, in the region of Labe. It is a junction of of Guinea-Bissau and the OMVG. The length of the time- two rivers: the Tomine which has its source from the Sangale series is very variable from one source to another, because the and the Komba which takes its source from Madina Wora. shortest are found in Guinea-Bissau over a period of 12 years These two rivers confluence at Gaoual to give the Koliba. (Beli and Tche-Tche). Table 2 lists the rainfall stations se- After a course, going West, more than 200 km with many lected by country and available data, while Fig. 1 shows their meanders, it forms the border between the two countries for spatial distribution in the Basin. Given their number, only the a few kilometers, before entering Guinea-Bissau where it is results of a few will be presented. The choice will be based called Corubal. It joins the Kayanga/Geba near Xime in a flat on the sample size, the quality of the data (small gaps in the and marshy zone where the tide goes very far inside the con- timeseries) and the geographical position in the Basin. tinent, to form the estuary of Geba (SOFRECO, 1993). Al- though, its Basin occupies a smaller area, the River concen- trates the most important surface water resource in Guinea- Proc. IAHS, 383, 171–183, 2020 https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-383-171-2020 S.