Water quality and water-use conflicts in Lake Taabo (Ivory Coast)

Noël Groga, Allassane Ouattara, Sébastino Da Costa, Alain Dauta, Olivier Beauchard, Jacques Moreau, Germain Gourene, Pascal Laffaille

Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CNRA) Projet Challenge Programm BP, Abidjan, France.
CNRS, UMR 5245 Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, Toulouse, France.
Ecole Nationale Supérieur Agronomique de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
Ecosystem Management Research Group-Universiteitsplein, Department of Biology, Campus Drie Eiken, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
Institut National Polytechique de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
Laboratoire d’Ecologie et de Biologie Aquatique (LEBA) UFR des Sciences et de Gestion de l’Environnement, Université d’Abobo-Adjamé Abidjan, Abidjan, France.

DOI: 10.4236/oje.2012.21005                

Abstract

The Lake Taabo (Ivory Coast, Africa) results of the construction of the Taabo dam on the Bandama River. The changes in the water level of the 69-km2 lake depend on 1) the rainfall linked to alternating dry/wet seasons; 2) the extraction of water for human uses; 3) the discharge of water from the upstream dam and the volumes turbined by the Kossou dam; 4) the various anthropic effects (discharge of untreated waste water from towns and industries, and leaching from agricultural land). The average concentrations of nutrients (NH4-N: 1.1 mg/L, NO3-N: 1.62 mg/L, PO4-P: 10 mg/L, SiO2: 15 mg/L) and chlo- rophyll a (from 4.8 to 16.5 μg/L, average 11.4 μg/L) indicates some degree of eutrophication. The cumulated effects that threaten the ecosystem (degradation of water quality and eutrophication) are such that they are likely to interfere with various water uses. In a context of growing health and environmental concerns in Africa, this study demonstrates conflicts between different uses of this water resource and the urgent need for an appropriate policy including specific monitoring of lake water quality, wastewater control, and a programme to reduce agricultural fertilizers.

Keywords

Conflicts over Water Use; Pollution; Tropical Lake; Lake Structure

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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