Study of the Biological Quality of the Water in the Manantali Dam Reservoir: Analysis of the Fish Fauna and Plankton Communities

The aim of this study of the Manantali dam reservoir is to investigate the biological quality of the water through inventories and analysis of the ichthyofauna and planktonic communities (zooplankton and phytoplankton). Inventories of ichthyofauna and plankton communities were carried out quarterly from 2003 to 2022. The fish populations studied on the basis of bioindicators (species richness, diversity index, equitability index, diversification index) identified 29 species belonging to 10 families. The Cichlidae family is the most represented, while the Schilbeidae and Tetraodontioae families are less represented in terms of number of species. The species Hydrocynus forskalii and Brycinus nurse with relative abundances of 40.12% and 21.4% respectively, both from the family Alestidae, are the most abundant. The species H. forskalii has a frequency of occurrence of 100%. The specific diversity index of 2.9 and the equitability index of 0.6 show an average diversity of fish species. The diversification index of 2.9 indicates a theoretical number of habitats of 2 to 3. The planktonic community is made up of zooplankton and phytoplankton. The inventory of zooplankton shows the presence of 28 zooplankton species belonging to 9 families of the three zooplankton groups Rotifera, Cladocera and Copepoda. Analysis of the frequencies of occurrence of the various taxa showed that the characteristic species of Lake Manantali are the omnipresent rotifers Keratella cochlearis, Keratella quadrata and Trichocerca chattoni. For phytoplankton, the inventories carried out show the presence of 65 species belonging to 5 families (Chlorophycees, Diatomees, Dinophycees, Chrysophycees and Cyanophycees). An analysis of the frequency of occurrence of the various taxa shows that the characteristic species of Lake Manantali are Chlorophycees, with 7 species: Desmidium baileyi, Micrasterias alata, Sphaerocystis schroeteri, Spondylosium sp., Staurastrum heimii, Staurastrum subanchora, Staurodesmus wandae;Diatoms, with one species: Navicula sp. and Cyanophycees, with one species: Microcystis aeruginosa.

Management of Significant Environmental Aspects and Impacts in Accordance with the ISO 14001:2015 Standard during the Operation and Maintenance Phase of Senegal River Basin Development Authority Hydroelectric Works and Facilities: The Case of Manantali Dam

This study aims to determine the environmental aspects and impacts of the phase relating to the operation of Manantali’s hydroelectric structures and facilities according to the requirements of the ISO 14001 version 2015 standard. To do this, the mapping of the different work areas made it possible to identify all the activities within the framework of the farm. Based on the mapping, environmental measurements made including noise level, brightness, electric and magnetic fields, total particles, PM10, PM2.5, PM1 showed the work areas with the exposure limit values exceeded. The inventories of the waste produced show eighteen (18) types of waste, 67% of which are special industrial waste (SIW), 28% are ordinary industrial waste (OIW) and 5% are inert industrial waste (IIW). The identification and assessment of environmental aspects and impacts made it possible to determine sixteen (16) positive and negative significant environmental aspects (ESAs). The positive AES must be maintained, and for the negative ones, mitigation and mitigation measures must be put in place in order to manage them effectively. This will ultimately improve environmental management in the operation of hydroelectric structures and facilities.

Comparative Study of Physico-Chemical and Biological Water Quality Upstream and Downstream of the Manantali Dam and Hydropower Plant from 2019 to 2023

The comparative study is designed to monitor the physico-chemical and biological quality of the water upstream and downstream of the Manantali hydroelectric dam. The physico-chemical parameters are sampled at 3 measuring points located at Station 1 of the dam’s reservoir, immediately downstream of the dam and hydroelectric power station at the level of the damping basin, and at the Bafing-Bakoye confluence at Bafoulabe (Bafing side), the biological parameter (ichthyological fauna) is characterized by ichthyological inventories of landings in the various fishing camps around the reservoir and at the Mahina market (Bafing side). The study assesses the environmental impact of hydroelectric structures and facilities on the physico-chemical and biological quality of the water. Physical parameters such as temperature, conductivity, pH, turbidity and chemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen, nitrite, nitrate, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, ammonium, iron, silica and phosphorus are measured in order to identify the various variations existing between the different measurement points. Analysis of the values obtained shows very high similarities between the various measuring points, and most parameters comply with WHO standards, with the exception of turbidity, manganese, hydrogen sulfide and iron. These data attest to good water quality, allowing normal development of flora and fauna with a low level of degradation. Comparative analysis of the ichthyological fauna shows the existence of 34 species of fish belonging to 11 families at the fishing camps around the Manantali dam reservoir, and 37 species belonging to 12 families at Mahina on the Bafing River. At Mahina on the Bafing, the specific composition of the catches is characterized by the presence of the Claroteidae family and four species (Alestes sp., Brycinus leuciscus, Auchenoglanis occidentalis, Distichodus engycephalus) not recorded at the camps. In contrast, all the fish families recorded in the camps are present in Mahina, and only one species (Hydrocynus brevis) is absent from the Mahina landings. The difference in species richness could be explained by the upwelling of some fish from the Bakoye to the Bafing at the confluence. The Shannon diversity index of 4.07 at Mahina is higher than the 2.98 recorded at camp level, and the equitability index of 0.78 at Mahina and 0.58 at the camp level indicate average diversity and the non-dominance of one species over the others. The diversification index values of 3.09 and 3.08 at camp level and Mahina respectively show that the number of theoretical habitats is three.