AN INTEGRATED COASTAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE SAINT-LOUIS REGION, SENEGAL

The Senegal river delta is vulnerable to inundation during the rainy season. To avoid widespread inundation in 2003 of Saint-Louis, the authorities decided to expel the surplus of river water by creating an artificial breach 7 km south of the city, through the Langue de Barbarie sand spit. This avoided large-scale inundations of the city, but the artificial breach grew uncontrollably during the subsequent years and became the new river mouth. This altered the dynamics of the lower river delta and continued to affect local villages, fishery activities, agriculture, and nature reserves. With the natural southward migration of the river mouth at a pace of ~500 m/yr, the population subject to flood risk by 2050 is estimated at 178,300 inhabitants for a 100-year flood. The Government of Senegal has asked the consortium Egis - Deltares to propose a sustainable and long-term management strategy for the lower Senegal river delta (PROGEP project).