OUTPUTS OF THE RESEARCH TEAMS IN URBAN COASTAL AREAS

THE VULNERABILITY OF AFRICA'S SURFICIAL AND GROUNDWATER AQUIFERS TO URBAN POLLUTION

OUTPUTS OF THE RESEARCH TEAMS IN URBAN COASTAL AREAS
BENIN (COTONOU), COTE D’IVOIRE (ABIDJAN) AND SENEGAL (DAKAR)

In preparing the Early Warning Bulletins and the Vulnerability Maps covering Dakar, Abidjan, Cotonou and their peripheral districts, the research teams undertook the following tasks and developed the following outputs:

Aquifer systems were sampled and analysed for hydrogeological and chemical parameters;
Pollutant sources were identified and detailed cartographic data improved;
Precipitation data was collected and stored;
Progression and trend indicators were collated (although still separately processed and stored), making it possible to identify parameters for raising awareness among city planners on the increase of pollution in their groundwater aquifers;
Vulnerability Maps and Early Warning Bulletins were prepared and disseminated.

In conclusion, the situation in the Atlantic Coastal Front Zone can be summarised as follows:

Dakar, Sénégal and its peripheral districts
The upper part of the coastal aquifer has been protected from pollution by a Sewerage system and covered by a water supply network, while the deep aquifer is in direct natural contact with the Atlantic Ocean. Boreholes drilled in the deep aquifer are hydrologically connected with the upper part of the city’s groundwater.

Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, and Cotonou, Bénin, and their peripheral districts
The upper part of the coastal aquifer is protected from pollution by a sewerage system and covered by a water supply network, while the deep aquifer is directly and indirectly connected (through lagoons) with the Atlantic Ocean. Boreholes drilled in the deep aquifer are hydrologically connected with the upper part of the cities’ groundwater.