Étude des sècheresses pluviométriques et hydrologiques en Afrique tropicale : caractérisation et cartographie de la sècheresse par indices dans le haut bassin du fleuve Sénégal

Abstract

Issues related to the persistence or not of drought are firstly important for Sahelian and sub-Sahelian countries and people. The updating of previous results is then an element of knowledge, both to assess current environmental constraints and for optimally manage scarce resources. The Senegal River Basin was selected for this study. The rainfall data were analyzed by emphasizing over the period 1950-2004. Considering the obtained results with the different procedures used (three in total), it is reasonable to assume that the studied area has retained characteristics and unstable rainfall deficit over the three decades 1970, 1980 and 1990 especially if they are compared with previous periods (decades 1950 and 1960) and following (2000 to 2004). This rainfall drought causes in the basin hydrological drought with declining flood, severity of low flows and a precocious drying up.

Keywords

• drought
• Senegal River
• Senegal
• tropical Africa
• rainfall deficit