COUNTRY FILES (contd.)

BURKINA FASO

1. GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE (Welcomme, 1979)

Burkina Faso (surface area of 274 200 km²) is a landlocked country consisting mainly of flat savanna which lies within the Sahelian zone. In the east, low hills demarcate the White Volta and Niger River watersheds.

The climate is generally hot and arid, with very limited rainfall in the north. The south is somewhat more moist and has one main rainy season extending from May to October.

Burkina Faso is an agricultural country with considerable pastoralism in the north. Much of this area, especially near the water courses, is rendered uninhabitable by Simulium sp, the vector of river blindness. Intensive efforts to control this insect may open up much of the country close to the rivers, with a consequent effect on the development of the fisheries.

2. HYDROGRAPHY

(after Welcomme, 1979; Baijot, 1984a,b; Collart, 1987)
(See Figs. 1 and 2; Tables 1 and 2; Annex 1)

Table 1 gives the surface area and estimated potential annual yield of the main water bodies.

Table 2 gives physical and chemical data of the main water bodies.

2.1 Lakes

There are eight small natural lakes, with a combined surface area of 30–50 km². The most important are Lakes Bam and Oursi, both of which shrink considerably during the dry season, the latter becoming entirely dry nearly every year.

2.2 Rivers, Floodplains and Swamps

Burkina Faso is well watered with rivers, forming as it does the watershed between the Volta and the Niger systems. The Volta is the most important, with four major tributaries: the Black Volta flows for 650 km within the country and has extensive floodplain/marshes (750 km² flooded); the White Volta, flows for some 255 km in Burkina Faso, and the Red Volta, for some 350 km. The other river, the Pendjari, forms the frontier with Benin for about 200 km. Within the Niger Basin the Sirba River drains the central hills toward the north.

2.3 Reservoirs

Over 800 dams have been built in Burkina Faso but presently only 320 are in actual use. About 80, with a combined surface area of 130 km² (max) and 80 km² (mean), are permanent and exploited by fishermen.

Annex 1 gives an inventory list of 125 main reservoirs and their main characteristics.

In addition, three large reservoirs have recently been created (dams closed in 1987/88): Douna (6 km²), Kompienga (150 km²), and Bagrè (150 km²); and another is projected: Koulbi-Noumbiel Reservoir (350 km²).

Table 1. SURFACE AREA AND ESTIMATED ANNUAL POTENTIAL YIELD OF MAIN WATERBODIES
(Baijot, 1984)

Source: Blin, 1976.
¹ Surface of flooded area (mean on 18 yrs)
² Mean annual surface
³ Maximum surface
⁴ Collart, 1987: 35 000 ha.

Fig. 1. ALTITUDE AND HYDROGRAPHY OF BURKINA FASO
(M.P.C., 1986)

Table 2. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL DATA OF THE MAIN WATERBODIES
(cited in Baijot, 1984)

Sodium: mg Na/l
Potassium: mg K/l
Calcium: mg Ca/l
Magnésium: mg Hg/l
Carbonatés: mg CO₂/l
Sulfates: mg SO₃/l
Silicates: mg SiO₂/l
Chlorures: mg ClNa/l

Notes:
1) Results are given in mg/l
2) Concerning pH, dissolved O₂, Temperature, Transparency, and SBV: only results from August 68

Fig. 2. RIVERS AND HYDROMETRIC NETWORK OF BURKINA FASO Ministère du développement rural, 1983

2.4 Coastal Lagoons (None; Burkina Faso is landlocked.)

2.5 Aquaculture (after Collart, 1987)

Aquaculture is not developed in Burkina Faso, although there are three fish-fry production centres (Bazega, Beregadongan, Komoe).

At present aquaculture consists mainly in extensive stocking of small reservoirs (<50 ha) and of rice culture ponds (total existing area: 10 000 ha).

No data is available on the actual number of man-dug ponds.

3. FISHERY PRODUCTION/POTENTIAL

3.1 Fish production and per caput supply

Table 3. FISH PRODUCTION AND PER CAPUT SUPPLY - Burkina Faso, 1970–1987

¹ Source: FAO
² Source: FAO Fisheries Department FISHDAB
No submission received since 1982. Data for recent years to be used with caution as no regular catch assessment surveys undertaken.
³ included in “Inland capture” if not specified.
⁴ - = data not available.
⁵ Vincke, 1989, pers.comm.
⁶ No fish export; fish imports about 4 000 t/yr (Deceuninck, 1989a).

3.2 Inland catch range and potential yield

Table 4

Potential annual yield: See Table 1.

4. STATE OF THE FISHERY

(after Welcomme, 1979; Baijot, 1984a,b; Collart, 1987; Deceuninck, 1989a)

4.1 Yield

The statistics available for the estimation of catches from Burkina Faso are not very reliable. As a consequence, the nominal catch figures are more in the nature of general estimations, with little factual data to support them.

Collart (1987) estimates the production to fluctuate from 2 500 to 5 000 t/yr, while FAO's statistics give a fluctuation from 6 000 to 7 000 t/yr during the period 1976–1987.

This production originates from about 3 500 fishermen (including about 500 foreign professional fishermen) distributed in 28 “fisheries centres”.

Aquaculture production is given below: (Source: Vincke, 1989, pers.comm.)

4.2 Factors influencing yield

The limited area of surface water means that the potential production for Burkina Faso is low and the fishery has remained in a relatively undeveloped state, due mainly to:

• the presence of river diseases (onchocercosis, trypanosomiasis, bilharzia and malaria) in most of the water courses;
• the isolation of many fisheries;
• poor gear; and
• poor formation.

Ambitious development plans, based on extensive aquaculture in the barrages and dams, project a production as high as 12 000–15 000 t per year. However, the production of fish from the inland waters of Burkina Faso is severly limited by climatic conditions and, when the Sahelian drought conditions prevail, increases in production cannot be expected.

4.3 Future development possibilities

It is difficult to make any definite forecast for future production due to climatic instability in the area. However, it seems likely that with a concentrated effort, based mainly on stocking existing and projected reservoirs and on fisheries management, the production from various inland water bodies could reach 12 000–15 000 t/yr.

5. KEY BIBLIOGRAPHY

Baijot, 1984a, b
Collart, 1987
Deceuninck, 1989a
Leveque, 1987a

6. WATER BODIES DIRECTORY

(see also Tables 1, 2 and Annex 1)

LAKE BAM

LAKE BOUZANGA

LAKE DEM

LAKE OURSI/MARE D'OURSI

LAKE SIAN

LAKE TENGRELA

MARE AUX HIPPOPOTAMES

BLACK VOLTA RIVER
(International water)

Ionic composition: (Blanc and Daget, 1957)

* Ca and SO₃ figures seem aberrently high and should be taken with care.

Fisheries data
No. of fish species: 96 (Daget and Iltis, 1965)

Total annual catch and effort: in Burkina Faso

Potential annual yield:

Black Volta River upstream the Sourou Depression,
     including 750 km² floodplain: 3 750 t (50 kg/ha/yr: Blin, 1976)

Black Volta River downstream the Sourou Depression,
     including main tributaries (surface area 79.58 km²): 796 t (100 kg/ha/yr: Blin, 1976)

COMOE/KOMOE RIVER
(International water)

Physical and chemical data (Iltis & Leveque, 1982)
Ionic composition:

NIGER RIVER AND FLOODPLAIN
(International water)

Countries traversed:
Niger River: Benin, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria
Tributaries: Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire

Potential annual yield:
Main tributaries Upper Niger River basin (surface area: 25 km²) 20 t (100 kg/ha/yr: Blin, 1976)
Main tributaries Lower Niger River basin (mean surf. area: 72.6 km²) 726 t (100 kg/ha/yr: Blin, 1976)

OTI/PENDJARI RIVER
(International water)

* Ca and SO₃ figures seem aberrently high and should be taken with care.

Fisheries data
Potential annual yield: in Burkina Faso:
                 Pendjari River (permanent water, mean 9 km² surface area):
                         90 t (100 kg/ha/yr: Blin, 1976)
                 Tributaries, including 150 km² floodplain of Pendjari River:
                         750 t (50 kg/ha/yr: Blin, 1976)

RED VOLTA RIVER
(International water)

* Ca and SO₃ figures seem aberrently high and should be taken with care.

Fisheries data
Total annual catch and effort: in Burkina Faso

Potential annual yield:
including Sissili River, 23.4 km²: 234 t (100 kg/ha/yr: Blin, 1976)

WHITE VOLTA RIVER
(International water)

Ionic composition: (after Blanc & Daget, 1957)

* Ca and SO₃ figures seem aberrently high and should be taken with care.

Fisheries data
Total annual catch: 70 t in Burkina Faso (Welcomme, 1972)
Potential annual yield:
        including main tributaries (total surface area 47.4 km²): 474 t (100 kg/ha/yr: Blin, 1976)

BAZEGA RESERVOIR

BOULBI RESERVOIR

DONSE RESERVOIR

LOUDA RESERVOIR

LOUMBILA RESERVOIR

LOURE RESERVOIR

MOGTEDO RESERVOIR

NAGBANGRE RESERVOIR

OUGADOUGOU RESERVOIR

TOUGOURI RESERVOIR

YALOGHO RESERVOIR

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Baijot, 1984a, b
Blanc & Daget, 1957
Blin, 1976
Collart, 1987
Daget, 1954; 1957
Daget & Iltis, 1965
Deceuninck, 1989a
FAO/UN, 1962; 1970; 1971
Iltis & Lèvêque, 1982
Leveque, 1987a
MPC, 1986
Raimondo, 1975
Welcomme, 1972; 1979; 1985
White, 1965

ANNEX 1
INVENTORY LIST OF 125 MAIN RESERVOIRS AND THEIR MAIN CHARACTERISTICS
BURKINA FASO
(Baijot, 1984b)

The principal characteristics of dams described
Originating from the ONBI (National Office of Barrages and Irrigation)

For each dam the following data are given:

• Name and No. of dam
• Date of construction
• Maximum capacity (m³)
• Height (m) - estimation ()
• Surface (ha), estimated by the ONBI
• Surface calculated by the following formula:
  (by m.Gresillon, Dir. of E.I.E.R.
  
• Agricultural surface (ha) already under cultivation/or max. possible
• Surface of the catchment basin (km²)
• Length of the dam (m)
• Principal utilization, other than fishery:
       A = Agriculture irrigation
       H = Human consumption
       P = Pasture/grazing ground
       - = Underlined: Predominant use

DAMS - BURKINA FASO

Table A.1 ORD from the centre of the country

Table A.2 ORD from the East of the country (Fada-N'Gourma)

Table A.3 ORD from the Central-North of the country (Kaya)

Table A.4 ORD from the Center-West of the country (Koudougou)

Table A.5 ORD from the Center-East of the country (Tenkodogo)

Table A.6 ORD from the Bougouriba (Diebougou)

Table A.7 ORD from the Comoe (Banfora)

Table A.8 ORD from the Upper Basins (Bobo-Dioulasso)

N.B.: Date to be verified

Table A.9 ORD from the Sahel

Table A.10 ORD from the North of the country - Ouahigouya (Yotengo)

Table A.11 ORD from the Black Volta (Dedougou)