In northern Senegal, the Diamond Dam in the Saint-Louis region marks the border with Mauritania. It is the work of the Senegal River Development Organization (OMVS), which has four Member States: Senegal, Mauritania, Mali and Guinea. In operation since 1986, this “anti-salt” dam has made it possible to develop agriculture in the river valley. And 35 years later, it is a successful example of cross-border water management.
Downstream salt water from the Atlantic. Upstream, freshwater. With its seven gates, the mobile dam “blocks” the influx of saline solution inland. “There were droughts in the 1970s and 1980s when sea salt rose up to 200-300 kilometers upstream. And so it was impossible to grow crops with salt water. And during this period, we saw strong migration from elsewhere to Europe from across the valley, says Demba N’Daw, CEO of Soged, Diamas’ management and operations company.
According to Soged, 130,000 hectares are currently irrigated thanks to the dam in the valley. The structure also allows the supply of drinking water to Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, to 100%, Dakar to almost 60%. Oumar Sow, the current mayor of Diama, remembers the inauguration in 1986: “I was about 25 years old, I remember everything: we spent the night here, we danced … It became a different world with the pond. Thousands of fields did not exist. It is an unimaginable improvement, it completely changed the lives of the population. “
Nearby, kind of reeds have spread. The other side of the coin. “Because the salty tongue did not return, it allowed the spread of typha. Typha is an invasive plant. We are currently looking for user solutions, especially by making paper, which can also be used to produce energy. In the distance you can see the Mauritanian border post with police, customs and gendarmerie “, explains the director of Soged Demba N’Daw.
Diamadammen belongs to three countries: Senegal, Mauritania and Mali. It works “in tandem” with the hydroelectric dam Manantali, in the Malian region of Kayes. And their handling is not a source of conflict.
“The management of cross-border areas can be problematic, we see it on the continent, but also elsewhere. But OMVS, through the solidity of the legal basis and in particular the quality of relations between the states, made it possible to cooperate, claims Hamed Diane Séméga, High Commissioner for the Senegalese Development Organization (OMVS). ignoring territorial sovereignty, we create an infrastructure, we run it together, we share the benefits and costs regardless of geographical location. This is what makes OMVS an example of model collaboration. “
A source of pride for the organization, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary next year.
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