Niger appears to be one of the most groundwater-rich countries of the Sahel region, with basins deeper than expected, storing several giant aquifers with minimal available reserves of 650 billion m3.
The giant agricultural alluvial potential of Dallols Bosso, Maouri and Fogha:
Alluvial aquifers of Niger offer nearly 2 million hectares of arable soil for irrigated agriculture.
The Dallols have by themselves a cumulative groundwater volume of more than 50 billion m3 in the study area.
The exceptional character of the Dallols is reinforced by a free alluvial water table, accessible at shallow depth, with an annual recharge of 300 million m3, ensuring strong seasonal resilience to climate change.
Such results offer multiple opportunities to develop a wide range of irrigated agricultural projects on alluvial soils:
- Small scale agricultural projects can be developed with easy access to shallow groundwater for irrigation.
- Large scale irrigated agricultural projects can tap into deeper aquifers.
As a result of this
WATEX™ survey, Niger, one of the most threatened countries of the world impacted by climate change and with some of the hardest border conflicts, appears to be
one of the wealthiest Sahel’s countries in groundwater resources to sustain an ambitious agricultural program, ensuring
food and water security as well as peace for years to come.
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WATEX™ Groundwater Mapping projects.