CLIMATE VULNERABILITY AND WATER RESOURCES VARIABILITY IN WEST AFRICA SENEGAL AND GAMBIA RIVER BASIN CASES STUDIES Progress Report

West Africa, particularly the Sudano-Sahelian zone, has experienced unprecedented climate variability in recent decades. Despite some periods of respite, the statistics do not really plead for a return to better climatic conditions, precisely rainfall. Beyond the structural aspect of this climate variability, many effects have been observed on socio-economic activities and also on socio-cultural practices. This situation has a dramatic impact on water resources and in particular on the hydrology of West African transboundary basins such as those of Senegal and Gambia.
The overall objective of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of climate variability and risks and their impacts on the water resources availability in transboundary watersheds in West Africa. It aims to create up-to-date knowledge bases for climate variability analysis and risk assessment as well as the search for sustainable solutions to overcome the environmental and societal vulnerability. In this perspective, the updating of the West African climate database and its extension to shared basins (Senegal and Gambia) should make it possible to carry out relevant analyses of climate variability and its impact on the environment and more particularly on the water resources availability.