{"id":5407,"date":"2022-03-29T13:58:23","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T11:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alliance-sahel.org\/press\/next-events\/hydraulique-mauritanie-interview-lavdal-ould-dadde\/"},"modified":"2022-03-31T10:38:10","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T08:38:10","slug":"mauritania-water-interview-lavdal-ould-dadde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alliance-sahel.org\/en\/news\/mauritania-water-interview-lavdal-ould-dadde\/","title":{"rendered":"“Developing the solar potential of regions such as the Sahel is becoming an absolute necessity”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Lavdal Ould Dadde, a hydraulic engineer by training and Director of Hydraulics at the Central Directorate of the Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation, answers Alliance Sahel’s questions on the potential and challenges in Mauritania’s water and sanitation sector.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What are the main challenges in terms of access to drinking water and sanitation in Mauritania?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerning drinking water<\/strong> in Mauritania, there are a multitude of challenges on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main challenge resides in the fact that there are still many communities where water is scarce <\/strong>and where there are no continual water sources in the subsoil. Moreover, even if the flow is tapped, the water is brackish, so desalination units would have to be installed, which would be very costly and would represent a substantial investment for all the communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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AFD project for access to drinking water and sanitation in the 2 Hodhs. Photo: Aude Rossignol\/Alliance Sahel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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More generally, Mauritania is geographically part of the Sahelo-Sahelian band of countries, where the scarcity of rainfall is very high:<\/strong> pockets of water are rarely fed, which contributes to the drought. In some localities, the bevels are completely dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As regards<\/strong> water<\/strong> sanitation<\/strong>, the challenge is particularly acute in the large cities, in what is called collective sanitation. There is a sanitation network that covers part of Nouakchott, but the financial stakes are enormous <\/strong>for sanitation in the major centres, so there is a great risk of delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are also witnessing a horizontal development of  the city, with an urban  extension, which must be closely monitored, as it can pose a problem for water sanitation. A Master Plan has already been developed, but unfortunately it suffers from lack of funding. For the city of Nouakchott alone, this would mean investing 400 million ouguiyas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are Mauritania’s potentials and assets in terms of water resources?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mauritania as a whole mobilises 600 million cubic meters of water<\/strong> for various purposes: agriculture, mining, water supply, etc. It is important to note that pratically 3\/4 of that water are used for agriculture<\/strong>. Half of this hydric mass is extracted from the river (livestock watering, agriculture, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1\/4 of the water is underground and 1\/4 is found in dam areas,<\/strong> such as Voum El Gle\u00efta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have both groundwater and surface water resources in <\/strong>Mauritania.<\/strong>  We also have seawater desalination units, which can produce up to 5,000 cubic metres per day, which will then be used for consumption at the city’s water tower. Nouakchott, which draws its water mainly from the river and the Idini area, is waiting for funding for a water desalination unit capable of processing 200,000 cubic metres per day<\/strong>, which would be revolutionary for the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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