ECONOMIC - DEVELOPMENT, HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 12, 2003
• Sequence Number: 277
• Publication Date: May 6, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

r-
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
CENTRA_ ....---.=_..__ ..__.._.
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
HOW
PUBLISHED
WHERE
PUBLISHED
DATE
PUBLISHED
LANGUAGE
Economic - Development, hydraulic engineering
Daily, semiweekly, thrice-weekly, and
newspapers; monthly periodical
'.II occurur -TS- ........c. u1(c1..c I.I ---
1. 1 .v
01 0.1.50 IN7(f. SIT? I.... ... .. C?.C.1 III
..0 is.. 01 1.I ..5. 000(. . . ...5010. III ?..H..II.W .. O.(?
L.rlO. 01 ITS C0.71.r1 10 0. .IUVI .. .r ur1?.011II0 0(550. II
?ro .0 i.. oy' !7.. -I ?n.. .( ........ . .
DATE DIST. A May 1953
NO. OF PAGES 6
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING IN FRENCH WEST AFRICA
GENERAL PROGRESS IN VARIOUS TERRITORIES -- Dakar, Cette Semaine, 1 Jan 53
In general, satisfactory progress has been made in urban hydraulic engi-
neering construction in the various territories of French West Africa. The
urgent problem of finding adequate water sources to supply the eight terri-
torial capitals and about a dozen more important cities has already been solved.
Work is now under way on the actual water-supply installations of the cities
concerned. This work is now more urgent than ever because of the rapid devel-
opment of some of the cities in question, particularly Conakry and Abidjan.
Large-scale river-development projects, except for the Richard Toll proj-
ect, are still largely in the study phase. However, the study of these proj-
ects is being actively pursued, despite a shortage of qualified personnel.
Of the five river basins currently under consideration for eventual development,
the study of the Senegal, Niger, Oueme, and Lower Guinea basins is progressing
satisfactorily. The study of the Volta Noire basin has been retarded by a
shortage of specialized engineers.
Much has already been accomplished in the pastoral and agricultural hy-
draulic engineering fields, but much more remains to be done. Even better re-
sults are anticipated when the Services de l'Agriculture et de l'Elevage (Agri-
cultural and Stock Raising Services) and the Service de 1'Hydraulique (Hydrau-
lic Service) begin to work in closer cooperation. During the last 2 years,
special progress has been made in pastoral hydraulic engineering throughout
French West Africa, although more particularly in Senegal and Niger. A more
concentrated effort in the future is anticipated in Mauritania and the French
Sudan. Meanwhile, in recent months,the territorial units of the Service de
1'Hydraulique have been given additonal engineers and topographers and, as a
result, further development is anticipated generally in agricultural hydraulic
engineering.
Senegal
The most important urban hydraulic engineering problem in Senegal con-
sists in the water-supply and sewage systems of Dakar. After several years
of effort, this problem is now largely solved. The only problem left is that
CLASSIFICATION, RESTRICTED ___
X 1 NAW NSRB DISTRIBUTION I I
I ARM I AIR I I F01
Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
 Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
25X1
Of financing the project for conveying water from Bebikhotane to Dakar, which
will cost one billion CFA francs and will increase the daily water supply of
Dakar from 30,000 to 60,0oo cubic meters.
Saint Louis has an adequate daily water supply amounting to between 5,000
and 6,000 cubic meters.
At Thies,' the first phase of the water-supply project currently under way
is nearly complete. A drilling of great depth, which is expected to double
the city's present water supply, is yet to be completed.
Studies are currently being made to extend the water-supply systems of
Kaolack and Ziguinchor.
The pastoral and agricultural hydraulic engineering program undertaken
throughout Senegal a few years ago is being carried out satisfactorily. On
1 January 1952, FIDES (Fonda d'lnvestissements et du Developpement Economique
et Social, Economic and Social Investment and Development Fund) allocated
556 million CFA francs for 34 scheduled new drillings.
At present, Rosso receives its water supply from the waters of the Senegal
River, which are collected by dams during the flood season. Construction of a
reservoir with a capacity of 300 cubic meters, a purification station, and a
distribution system is now under way.
Two apparatus (valued at a total of 40 million CFA franca) for distill-
ing sea water have been ordered for Port Etienne. Their installation will be
followed by the construction of a small water-distribution system. Port Etienne
then will have a daily water supply of 100,000 liters. Meanwhile, research has
shown that the soft water table in the Boutilimit area (Trarza region) extends
into the Port Etienne region. It is possible that some of this water can be
conveyed to Port Etienne by means of a pipeline between 40 and 60 kilometers long.
The project is under consideration.
The Mauritania section of the Service de 1'Hydraulique of French West Af-
rica was set up only 2 years ago. During this time, despite a shortage of qual-
ified personnel and insufficient fundb, it has built excellent water wells in
the Boghe, Kaedi, and Akjoujt regions.
Two water-supply systems are being built in Bamako- one in the upper and
the other in the lower section of the city. Two reservoirs are also under con-
struction. The entire project is now nearing completion. A pumping station has
already been installed, and only the necessary water-purification facilities re-
main to be provided.
Gao will get itn water supply from the Niger. A reservoir with a capacity
of 500 cubic meters, which was nearing completion, was recently destroyed ac-
cidentally and is now being rebuilt.
Agricultural hydraulic engineering constitutes a difficult problem in the
French Sudan. In the Gao region, along the Niger River and the Adrar des Iforas
Mountains, surveys have brought to light the possibility of drilling wells and
tapping water at a depth of 80 meters. NtLnerous wells have been built in the
Bamako-Kokolani-Nara region, which, heretofore, had had none. A 4-year agri-
cultural hydraulic engineering development plan has been worked out by the Di-
rectorate of Public Works of the French Sudan, which calls for the construction
of wells and dams throughout the territory, particularly in the Gourma and Ban-
diagara regions.
Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
 Approved For Release 2003/09/03 CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
25X1
French Guinea
After long and costly research, Conakry is now assured of an adequate water
supply. Water discovered on Kaloum Peninsula and in the Kamkimbon area can be
brought to Conakry at the rate of about 10,000 cubic meters daily and at reason-
able cost. It is estimated that the remaining work in this connection will cost
between 100 million and 150 million CFA francs.
At Kankan, the Directorate of Public Works of French Guinea has worked out
a water-supply plan which calls for tapping the waters of the Milo River and
constructing a reservoir and a distribution system at a total estimated cost- of
90 million CFA francs.
Studies are under way to develop agricultural hydraulic engineering con-
struction in Lower Guinea as a means of improving the economy of all of French
Guinea.
Abidjan, La Cote d'Ivoire, 31 Dec 52
Ivory Coast
Abidjan, which in 1950 had only a 20-minute water supply per day, is now
getting an adequate water-supply system, the construction of which is well under
way. Annexed supply systems have already been provided for the suburban towns
of Treichville and Cocodi, where reservoirs with a capacity of 2,000 cubic me-
ters each are currently under construction. When this work is completed, at-
tention will turn to the problem of purification.
After studying the problem of Sassandra's water needs, it has been decided
to supply the city with water from the Sassandra River. The necessary pipes and
petrification apparatus are on order, and the reservoirs are currently under
construction.
At Bouake, drillings for water are being made with satisfactory results.
Another hydraulic engineering project of special interest is the projected
construction of a dam at Ayame, on the Bra River, to supplement the present elec-
tric power supply of Abidjan. The dam, which will take about 4 years to build
and will be ready for operation in 1957 or 1958, will cost an estimated 3 billion
CFA francs.
Upper Volta
At Bobo Dioulasso, the tapping of the Kou River and the necessary storage
installations have peen completed, and the city's distribution system will be
completed by the end of 1953. The present water supply amounts to approximately
2,000 cubic meters daily.
Construction of two dams at the confluence of the Volta Noire and Sourou
rivers will make possible the irrigation of more than 100,000 hectares of land.
Paris, Encyclopedic Mensuelle d'Outre-bbr, Jan 53
Niger
Important results were obtained in 1952 by the Niger section of the Service
de 1'Hydraulique of French West Africa, which took over from the various district
administrations responsibility for a major portion of the water-well building
program in the territory.
Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
 Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
25X1
In 1952, the Service de 1'Hydraulique began work on 109 new water wells
(totaling 1,935 meters in depth) in the following cerclest Agades, 13; Zinder,
30; Dosso, 12; Goure, 12; Maradi, 7; N'Guigmi, 4; Niamey, 6; Tillaberi, 10; and
Tahoua, 15. It is estimated that new wells, representing a total depth of 350
meters, were put in service during the fourth quarter of 1952. During the year,
the Service de 1'Hydraulique also repaired 32 wells which were damaged or in
disrepair.
Abidjan, La Cote d'Ivoire, 29 Oct 52
Dahomey
Since 1949, studies and works have been undertaken to improve the hy-
draulic engineering potential of Dahomey, particularly insofar as irrigation
and drinking-water distribution are concerned. During 1949 and 1950, drinking-
water supply systems were provided for the rural towns of Adjehon, Salsete, and
Natitingou. In 1951, the newly established Dahomey section of the Service de
1'Hydraulique of French West Africa undertook a general program of urban, rural,
fluvial and pastoral hydraulic engineering development.
At Porto Novo (30,000 inhabitants), a 60-meter seepage well was completed
recently. It is anticipated that it will provide 3,600 cubic meters of water
daily, an amount amply sufficient to satisfy the city's needs, which are es-
timated at 1,800 cubic meters daily.
At Cotonou, it took no less than seven 80-rreter drillings in an area 14
kilometers long to find the 2,000 cubic meters of soft water needed daily.
At Ouidah, third largest city in Dahomey, drillings for water are being
made with satisfactory results.
The water-supply problem is especially serious in the brush country. In
the villages of southern Dahomey, it has proved relatively easy to build wells,
but in the northern section of the territory and in cities and towns, deep drill-
ings are necessary to strike water. During the past 2 years, 20 modern seepage
wells, some of which are as much as 90 meters in depth, have been built in south-
ern Dahomey. Meanwhile, three large seepage wells, two of which are nearing com-
pletion, are expected to satisfy the water requirements of Parakou, principal
town of northern Dahomey. In the extreme north of the territory, seven wells
have been built at Kandi, while construction of the Agrado River dam provides
the town of Savalou with a reserve of 45,000 cubic meters of water for the dry
season. Moreover, to increase livestock throughout Dahomey, a program has been
rlanned, as part of the next 14-year development plan, calling for construction
of a dam, 64 wells, and 68 watering places.
NIANDAN DAM TO INCREASE NAVTGABILIrr OF NIGER RIVER -- Dakar, Paris-Dakar,
19 Jan 53
At present, the Niger River in the French Sudan is navigable only 3 or 4
months annually. Wnen its minimum rate of flow is between 400 and 450 cubic
meters per second, navigation is posshble on the following sections: Kouroussa-
Bamako, h:oulikoro-Segou, and Markala-Timbuktu. To meet the requirements of the
economy of the French Sudan, the Niger River must be navigable at least 10 months
per year, which means that for that period of time, its flow must be kept at a
minimum of between 400 and 450 meters per second. To accomplish this, plans have
been made to build a dam on the Niandan River, a right bank tributary of the Ni-
ger River, about 15 kilometers upstream from the confluence of the two rivers.
At that point, the Niandan crosses a mountain chain through a comparatively nar-
row passage.
Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
 F
Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
25X1
Area I
Total area, 2,000 hectares; able area, 1,00 hectares; crop, oil palm.
Area II
Total area, 5,400 hectares; usable area, 4,;00 hectares; crop, oil palm.
It is estimated that the projected dam will be 1,150 meters long, 42.50
meters high at its highest point, and 7 meters wide at the crest. Its normal
water-holding capacity will be about 5 billion cubic meters. The dam will cost
4,400,000,000 CFA francs (estimate based on the value of the CFA franc at the
beginning of 1951).
OUEME RIVER VALLEY BEING DEVELOPED -- Conakry, La Guinee Francaise, 25 Nov 52
Some time ago, in 1952, the administration of Dahomey established the so-
called Mission d'Amenagement de 1'Oueme (Oueme Development Mission) to develop
the Oueme River valley for crop cultivation. The mission operates in conjunc-
tion with the Service d l'Eydraulique and the Directorate of Public Works of
Dahomey.
The mission's headquarters are located in Porto Novo, vhere it has offices,
a warehouse, a landing platform on the lagoon, a slipvay, and several motor
boats.
In its research and planning, the mission gets the collaboration of several
organizations, the most notable of which are. the BCEOM (Bureau Central d'Etudes
pour les Equipements d'Outre-Mer, Central Office of Studies for Overseas Equip-
ment); the ORSOM (Office de Is. Recherche Scientifique Outre-Mer, Office of Over,
seas Scientific Research); the IGN (Institut Geographique National, National
Geographic Institute); the IRRO (Institut da Recherches pour les Oleagineux,
Aleaainous Plant Research Institute), the CGCT (Compagnie ;encrale pour lea Ob_ag-
ineux Tropicaux, General Company for Tropical'Oleaginoue Products); and the Mis-
slon Hydrographique de la Cote d'Afrique (Hydrogrnphic Mission of the African
Coast).
1. In the hydrological field, it has set up 6 research bases, 23 flood
gauges, 16 overflow gauges, and 20 measurement stations in the upper basins of
the Oueme River and its tributaries.
2. With the assistance of the IGN, it has made aerial photographic surveys
of the area under study. These at vey:; -will result in photo maps with a scale
of 1:20,000.
3. It has undertaken atudies to determine the most suitable crops to culti-
vate in the area. It was assisted by the :RHO in research relating to oil palm
cultivation and by the local agricultural services in research relating to the
cultivation of food crops, particularly :ice.
4. It has made a study of the entire development project from the engineer
ing standpoint, sith the assistarce of a BCEOM engineer, whose report will be
submitted shortly.
On the basic, o. studies completed to date, in the ir.itial phase of the de-
velopment project, the Mission de 1'Amonagement de 1'Ouemr, plan.: to set up seven
areas of cultivation between the confluence of the Oueme and Zou rivers and Lake
Nokoue, as follow:,:
Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
 Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6
25X1
Areas III, IV, and V
Total area, 7,300 hectares; usable area, 4,300 hectares; crops, oil
palm (60 percent) and rice or corn (40 percent).
Areas VI and VII
Total area, 10,200 hectares; usable area, 6,600 hectares; crops, corn
during the dry season and rice during the wet season.
RESTRICTED
Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220277-6